ESPN2 to Share Grand Slam Coverage

The Tennis Channel has bought the right to subcontract converage of the Australian and French Opens from ESPN2. Most of the coverage of the French Open will be moved to the Tennis Channel (100 hours on TTC, and 55 hrs on ESPN2). ESPN2 will keep the women's semifinals, while the TTC will air the men's semifinals. The TTC will produce the broadcast for each station, but each station will use its own anchors.

The problem with the TTC, thus far anyway, is that they haven't done that great of job with coverage of the small events that they produce -- even of the event they sponsor -- The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas. I assume that they'll use better cameras which will help. Second, they need new on air talent. Jimmy Arias is OK, but for two weeks of Grand Slam, that may get a little old. ESPN2 has P-Mac, who is fun, and Cliff Drysdale, who is a bit forgetful but fun as well, and a few other offensive women who I won't mention. But the TTC anchors tend to be on the dry side.


The Tennis Channel was picked up by DirecTV, the satellite provider, which will expand its reach to households, starting in August of this year. Picking up rights to broadcast most of the Australian and French Opens is great for the Tennis Channel which will widen its audience, and ESPN2 -- who gets to broadcast 1/3 of the coverage while still claiming the right to call themselves the "Grand Slam Network" -- and for the cable providers. The catch is that the Tennis Channel is still available currently only on the most expensive cable package from satellite provider DISH network. So by taking most of the coverage of these two events away from ESPN2, giving it more time to show billiards, etc -- it's actually being taken out of more households. More coverage is great, it would also be great if cable providers would downgrade the Tennis Channel to a less expensive package.