WBD Sports outlines Australian Open coverage
January 8, 2024
Some of the biggest names in tennis return to Melbourne Park for the first Grand Slam of 2024, kick-starting a busy year of sporting action for Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe.
From January 14th to 28th, tennis fans in 50 markets in Europe won’t miss a single ball hit throughout the tournament with live and on-demand coverage streamed exclusively on discovery+, and the Eurosport App. Coupled with 260 live hours of television coverage on Eurosport’s linear channels from 17 courts, tennis fans will be treated to the ultimate Australian Open experience as Novak Djokovic bids for an 11th Australian Open title while Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka continue their rivalry in their quest for the world number one spot.
WBD will also harness its free-to-air networks across Europe to air some of the key matches to the largest possible audiences. Both men’s and women’s singles finals will be broadcast in Sweden (via K9), Finland (via TV5) and Norway (via Max), whilst the women’s singles final will be available in Poland via TVN should it feature world number one Iga Swiatek. Finals highlights will also be available in the UK on DMAX. Additionally, tennis fans in Denmark (via 6’eren) will be able to watch local players such as Holger Rune and Clara Tauson progress through the tournament.
Scott Young, Group SVP, Content, Production and Business Operations, WBD Sports Europe, said: “We first delivered the Australian Open under the Eurosport brand in 1995 and this year’s tournament promises to be one of the best yet, packed with so many inspiring stories and battles that fans can follow every step of the way across our channels and platforms. No other broadcaster provides a 360-degree tennis ecosystem that connects tennis fans to the sport they love like we do. To enhance the storytelling like never before, we’ve assembled one of the most impressive expert line-ups of tennis legends and superstars. We’re particularly excited to welcome Nick Kyrgios to our English language commentary team this year and know fans will benefit from his unique perspectives and closeness to the current crop of champions and competitors taking to the court this year.”
WBD’s commitment to covering every story from the tournament includes localised studio shows for fans in the UK, Germany, France and Spain fronted by Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner (Matchball Becker from Munich), Alex Corretja and Carla Suarez Navarro (Pasando Bolas from Madrid), Justine Henin (ESP Tennis Club from Paris) and Roberta Vinci (from Milan).
In addition to wall-to-wall main draw coverage, Eurosport and discovery+ will show all qualifying rounds (from January 8th) as well as junior, wheelchair and legends matches. Eurosport’s live coverage each day will begin from 01:00 CET with a morning news show and pre-night session show from 08:45 CET each day.
Alongside all the live action, Eurosport.com will showcase free daily highlights complemented by behind-the-scenes clips, expert opinions and athlete reactions on Eurosport’s social platforms.
Furthermore, on the road to Melbourne, WBD will present new and exclusive content to build anticipation for the main event. These include Djokovic Unmasked – a documentary profiling the most the prolific winner in Australian Open history, an in-depth 2024 Australian Open preview show featuring expert interviews and a look back at some of the key highlights from the 2023 edition of the ‘Happy Slam’.
During the tournament, player-led opinion features including My Playlist, My Grand Slam Appetite and My Social Network will give fans access to their favourite players from the Tour.
In 2023, WBD’s coverage of the Australian Open across Europe resulted in record growth on its streaming platforms. Audiences rose by almost a third across Europe on discovery+ and the Eurosport App and doubled across key markets including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK as fans tuned in to the action in their millions. Similarly, linear television viewership across Europe on Eurosport 1 remained consistent with the 2022 tournament, which was a previous record audience for Eurosport’s coverage of the Australian Open.