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TNT’s Parent Company Pays Big For French Open Rights in U.S.: Reports

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The sport of tennis is facing a watershed moment.

The recent French Open run of the world No. 1 men’s singles player, Novak Djokovic, came to a premature end because of a knee injury. Rafael Nadal, 38, is two years removed from his last major title and currently ranked No. 275. The third member of “Big Three” that dominated men’s tennis for decades, Roger Federer, retired in Nov. 2022. Serena Williams left a void in the women’s game when she retired in Sept. 2022.

Nonetheless, tennis remains a valuable media property in the United States — as evidenced by the price tag for the domestic rights to televise the French Open for the next decade.

Warner Bros. Discovery will take over for NBC as the television home of the French Open in the United States beginning next year, as first reported by Variety.

The price tag on the 10-year deal? $650 million, as reported by The Athletic.

French Open media rights TNT — Spain’s Rafael Nadal (R) returns to Norway’s Casper Ruud (L) during their men’s singles final match on day fifteen of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 5, 2022….
Spain’s Rafael Nadal (R) returns to Norway’s Casper Ruud (L) during their men’s singles final match on day fifteen of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 5, 2022. Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT, has reportedly secured a 10-year, $650 million contract to broadcast the tournament for 10 years beginning in 2025.

Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images

According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic:

The move comes as WBD, which is the home of TNT Sports, is in the midst of negotiations with the NBA as it tries to hang on to some rights to games. TNT Sports executives have said they would be pursuing outside rights regardless of whether they retain the NBA or not.

NBC had been the home of U.S. French Open broadcasts since 1983, with the exception of three years when CBS held the exclusive rights to the tournament. Coincidentally, NBC and Warner Bros. Discovery are currently engaged in a bidding war for NBA broadcast rights beginning in 2025 as well.

Warner Bros. Discovery already holds the European broadcast rights to the French Open under its Eurosport brand. In the U.S., TNT Sports also features the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Major League Baseball playoffs, the National Hockey League postseason and NASCAR, among other properties.

In the U.S. at least, the French Open broadcasts will mark TNT’s first foray into tennis.

Both The Athletic and Variety report that Warner Bros. Discovery will air French Open content via its linear cable networks, its Max streaming service, and its Bleacher Report online sports hub.

The 2024 edition of the French Open is nearing its conclusion with Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini battling for the women’s singles title Saturday. Sunday, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz will square off for the men’s title in a battle between the tournament’s No. 4 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.

None holds the star power of the tennis stars of the last decade — yet. On the surface, the new contract between the French Open and Warner Bros. Discovery amounts to a bold prediction that the future of tennis is strong.