Tennis Channel

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Tennis Channel
Tennis Channel logo.svg
Launched May 15, 2003
Owned by The Tennis Channel, Inc.
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Slogan Where Champions Live
Country United States
Language English
Broadcast area Nationwide
Sister channel(s) The Ski Channel
Website www.tennischannel.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV Channel 217 (SD/HD)
Dish Network Channel 400 (SD/HD)
C-Band - H2H/4DTV Galaxy 23 - Channel 201 (SD)
Galaxy 13 - Channel 201 (HD)
Cable
Verizon FiOS Channel 592 (HD)
Channel 92 (SD)
Consult your local cable provider for channel availability
IPTV
AT&T U-verse Channel 660 (SD)
Channel 1660 (HD)
Sky Angel Channel 324
Cox SD- 320, HD- 1320

Tennis Channel is an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network that is owned by The Tennis Channel, Inc., a consortium of investors that includes sports marketing firm IMG, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. It is devoted to events and other programming related to the game of tennis, along with other racquet sports such as badminton and racquetball. Launched on May 15, 2003, the channel is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and produces its programming out of an HD-capable broadcast center in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City. Ken Solomon serves as the network's chief executive officer.

Background and programming

The network broadcasts live tournaments, news, one-on-one interviews, game analysis and skills instruction. Tennis Channel provides extensive coverage of the Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup as well as other tournaments throughout the year. Tennis Channel obtained the U.S. broadcast rights to the French Open; it broadcast the tennis tournament for the first time in 2007.

Tennis Channel is available across the United States from most cable providers and on satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network. In April 2007, Tennis Channel reached an agreement with DirecTV to carry the channel, which included a deal to carry a free preview of the 2007 French Open to the provider's subscribers. Tennis Channel was formally added to DirecTV on channel 217 on August 27, 2007. In December 2007, the network launched Tennis Channel HD, a high definition simulcast feed that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format. The standard definition feed of the channel is broadcast domestically on C band via the Galaxy 23 satellite, while the HD feed is broadcast on the Galaxy 13 satellite. In September 2009, Tennis Channel launched daily news segments titled Court Report.

Tennis Channel scored a significant coup in August 2006, when it was announced that it had procured the U.S. cable television rights for the French Open beginning in 2007.[1] In January 2007, Tennis Channel gained rights to televise the Australian Open.[2] Tennis Channel also gained broadcast rights for the US Open,[3] with cable coverage of each event being shared with ESPN2.

Tennis Channel won the French Open cable rights in 2006 by bidding over twice what ESPN had offered, after negotiations between ESPN and the French Tennis Federation had dragged on for nine months and the parties had been only $250,000 apart over an $18 million deal. Tennis Channel then was able to turn around and sublease to ESPN half of the French Open cable rights, for more than what ESPN had been willing to pay the French Tennis Federation for all the rights. [1]

Carriage disputes

2011 distribution

On September 4, 2011 during the US Open, Tennis Channel pulled its signal from Verizon FiOS, Cablevision, Suddenlink Communications, Mediacom, WOW!, Knology and General Communication Inc. systems after the providers declined to accept a new agreement that the Tennis Channel made with the National Cable Television Cooperative (a group which the seven providers are members). Along with a fee increase, the agreement also required that the Tennis Channel be moved from their optional sports package to their digital basic tiers.[4] Tennis Channel returned to Verizon FiOS on January 17, 2012.

Comcast ruling

In July 2012, the Federal Communications Commission ruled in favor of Tennis Channel following a three-year dispute between the network and Comcast. As a result of the ruling, Comcast was prompted to remove Tennis Channel from its sports package tier, available to customers via an extra charge, and carry the network on the same basic cable tier as Comcast-owned Golf Channel and NBC Sports Network. The FCC found Comcast's previous handling of the network to be discriminatory. This marked the first time that a cable distributor was found to have violated federal anti-discrimination rules.[3] Comcast successfully disputed the ruling in 2013, continuing to carry Tennis Channel on its sports package. Despite these issues, which do not involve the marketing departments of Comcast, NBC or Tennis Channel that are not party to the carriage dispute, both it and NBC continue to cross-promote each other's broadcasts of the French Open.

Original series

  • 100 Greatest of All Time
  • Best of 5
  • Celebrity Tennis
  • Destination Tennis
  • Fit to Hit
  • Only at the Open
  • Signature Series
  • Tennis Channel Academy

See also

External links

References

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  1. ↑ THE TENNIS CHANNEL ACQUIRES FIRST GRAND SLAM TELECAST RIGHTS THROUGH FRENCH TENNIS FEDERATION AGREEMENT Press Release August 24, 2006
  2. ↑ ESPN & THE TENNIS CHANNEL ANNOUNCE MULTI-YEAR, MULTIMEDIA ALLIANCE FOR GRAND SLAMS Press Release January 30, 2007
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Tennis Channel No Longer On Verizon FiOS, Cablevision's Lineups Multichannel News September 4, 2011
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