- As several expected, ESPN2 will still air French Open matches this year, and for the foreseeable future. The Tennis Channel and ESPN came to an interesting agreement today, which will allow for both networks to handle cable coverage of the French Open and, starting in 2008, the Australian Open. One telling note — ESPN2 will handle the women’s semifinals of the French Open, while the men’s semifinal is relegated to The Tennis Channel.
- In other tennis news, Serena Williams destruction of Maria Sharapova still managed to pull in a hefty 1.9 rating on ESPN2 — higher than most NBA and MLB regular season games, and much higher than the average for The X Games (which ESPN aired instead of the match).
- Meanwhile, the NHL just killed itself. The league will remain on Versus through 2011. More on that later.
WSJ: Rupert Murdoch spoke to White House about NFL streaming deals
Fox Corporation's campaign against the NFL's streaming deals reportedly reached the highest levels of the company and the government.
