A deal between TNT Sport’s parent company and the French Tennis Federation was announced at the end of this year’s competition.
- TNT Sports and HBO Max will show coverage in the UK and Ireland from next May.
- Eurosport continues to show coverage (except in France) across mainland Europe.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and the French Tennis Federation (FFT) have extended their agreement that will see Roland-Garros continue to be broadcast on its channels and platforms on a pan-European basis – excluding France – until at least 2030.
TNT Sports will remain the exclusive broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. However, streamers will be able to access all action from Roland-Garros on the new HBO Max service. That’s due to launch here by April 2026.
Over in mainland Europe, the deal means Roland-Garros French Open tennis will remain on Eurosport, except in France. The channel, which stopped broadcasting in the UK and Ireland in February, has been broadcasting coverage of the event since 1989. This deal will now mean Eurosport’s coverage will now pass the 40 year milestone.
French Tennis Federation President Gilles Moretton and President & Managing Director, WBD Sports Europe Andrew Georgiou (both pictured above) signed the deal on Sunday, the day of the men’s singles final.
Viewing figures up
Warner Bros. Discovery registered record numbers in a host of countries – including Italy – after the first 12 days of competition in this year’s edition of Roland-Garros. Record audience numbers were reported in Italy, via Eurosport, owing to the success of local hero Jannik Sinner (record average audience numbers for his fourth round match) as well as the best quarter-final match ever as Sinner beat Alexander Bublik in straight sets. Meanwhile, in the UK, TNT Sports recorded its best ever women’s semi-final in terms of average audience numbers. That’s when Aryna Sabalenka defeated reigning champion Iga Swiatek.
Corporate comment
Gilles Moretton, French Tennis Federation President, said:
“We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, whom we thank for their continued trust – demonstrated by the renewal of this agreement.
“The excellent audience figures for Roland-Garros in Europe are a testament to the FFT’s ability to organize an increasingly appealing tournament, and the ability of Warner Bros. Discovery to promote our tournament to our many European fans. This renewed partnership is a perfect illustration of our growing ambitions on the international stage,”
Andrew Georgiou, President & Managing Director, WBD Sports Europe, said:
“We are thrilled that we will continue to broadcast a tournament that enjoys the prestige and heritage of Roland-Garros and we are delighted that we will continue to deliver live coverage of an event that engages and resonates with millions of viewers across Europe.
“There are not many partnerships in sport that span more than 40 years but, with this deal, we are proud to achieve that milestone and would like to thank the French Tennis Federation for their lasting trust and support for what we do to share the great stories of Roland-Garros with millions of fans each and every year.”
Full list of countries covered by the deal
Albania, Andorra (excluding French language), Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Spain, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco (excluding French language), Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vatican City.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: WBD