Amazon Lands US Open Rights
Amazon has confirmed a five-year broadcast deal with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for rights to the US Open Grand Slam in the UK and Ireland.
News of the proposed deal was reported as long ago as November, but the new agreement has now been confirmed for up to $40m, according to media reports in The Guardian.
Starting with this year’s competition, Prime members will have access to live and on-demand coverage at no additional cost.
Eurosport previously held the rights to the tournament, which had sub-licensing deals with Sky in the UK and Ireland. In November, the broadcaster announced an extended pan-European rights deal for the US Open which didn’t include the UK and Ireland.
It is the latest addition to Amazon’s portfolio of sports rights, which follows a deal for the ATP World Tour from 2019 to 2023 announced last year. Amazon also signed a deal in May last year to offer Eurosport via Prime in the UK, holding rights in the UK to the Australian Open, the French Open and non-exclusive rights to Wimbledon. The latest deal means that Amazon will now be able to offer all four of tennis’ Grand Slams.
Lew Sherr, USTA chief revenue officer commented: “This new partnership allows the USTA to showcase our live and on-demand content to Amazon Prime members throughout the UK and Ireland. We are excited to market the telecasts via Prime Video and provide fans more ways to watch tennis matches.”
Jay Marine, vice president of Amazon Prime Video Europe said: “Prime Video is focused on bringing customers a great selection of high-quality entertainment across drama, comedy, documentaries, live sports and more.
“We are delighted to now offer Prime members US Open tennis at no extra cost to their membership, right alongside their favourite shows and movies.”
Alex Green, managing director of channels and sports at Amazon Prime Video Europe, added: “We are proud to partner with the USTA to add the US Open to the growing portfolio of sports available on Prime Video. This prestigious event, along with the other exciting tennis coming this year and next, makes Prime Video a destination for tennis fans in the UK and Ireland.”
