TSN and RDS Reach 11-Year Media Rights Extension For Tennis' US OPEN

- TSN and RDS secure complete Canadian exclusivity of the entire US OPEN for the first time -
- TSN is the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of all four Grand Slam tennis events -

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TORONTO, May 16, 2013 /CNW/ - Bell Media's TSN and RDS have extended their partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) with a new 11-year multimedia rights agreement for the US OPEN.  As part of the new deal beginning in 2015, TSN and RDS will have exclusive Canadian coverage of the US OPEN Finals for the first time.

TSN and RDS platforms will deliver 130+ hours of live US OPEN tennis coverage each year, including expanded coverage of the men's and women's early-round matches, round of 16, quarter-finals, semifinals and exclusive Canadian coverage of the Finals.

With the new deal, TSN and RDS remain the undisputed home of tennis in Canada with exclusive coverage of all four Grand Slam tennis events - the AUSTRALIAN OPEN, FRENCH OPEN, WIMBLEDON and US OPEN - delivering more than 500 hours of tennis coverage each season.

"The US OPEN is one those special events in sports - with the world's best players competing in prime time under the bright lights of New York City. We are thrilled to extend our long-standing partnership with the USTA for another 11 years," said Shawn Redmond, Vice-President of Programming, TSN. "The future of Canadian tennis has never been stronger. TSN is proud to be the exclusive home of all four Grand Slams and showcase Milos Raonic and up-and-coming Canadians in the biggest events in tennis."

TSN has broadcast the US OPEN since the network launched in 1984.  During last year's US OPEN, TSN attracted a record audience for the 4^th round match between Milos Raonic and Andy Murray.

TSN is Canada's Sports Leader and #1 specialty network. With a broad portfolio of multimedia sports assets, TSN delivers world-class content across industry-leading platforms including TSN2, TSN.ca, TSN Radio and TSN Mobile TV. Official broadcaster of the Grey Cup, IIHF World Junior Championship and FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015, TSN's slate of live sports coverage includes NHL, CFL, NFL, NBA, MLS, Season of Champions Curling, UEFA Euro 2016, MLB Sunday Night Baseball, Barclays Premier League, Golf's Majors, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Canadian Tire Series, F1, Grand Slam Tennis, NCAA March Madness, and Skate Canada events. TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company.

SOURCE: TSN

Greg McIsaac, (w) 416.384.5180, (c) 416.458.3591, [email protected]
Renee Rouse, (w) 416.384.7599, (c) 416.428.4807, [email protected]

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