Tennis Channel will no longer sublicense its French Open coverage. In other news, Univision Deportes Network will air its first Major League Baseball game, and NBC has held onto Formula 1 rights for another season.
Tennis Channel Keeping All French Open Cable Rights
- Tennis Channel announced earlier this month that it will no longer sublicense coverage of the French Open, serving as the sole cable broadcaster for the event. The network previously shared coverage with ESPN, which last year elected not to continue the agreement. Tennis Channel will now air 110 hours of live coverage, up from 65 hours last year. (Tennis Channel)
Univision Deportes Network to Air MLB Mexico Game
- Univision Deportes Network will televise Saturday’s Astros/Padres Major League Baseball spring training game from Mexico City, the first MLB telecast ever on the network. While it is the first MLB game on UDN, it is not the first on Univision overall. In 2000, Univision and Galavision aired a series of spring training games played in Latin America. (Univision)
NBC Extends F1 Deal Through Next Year
- NBC has extended its television contract with Formula 1 through next year, the network confirmed to Awful Announcing this week. The deal was set to expire after this season. Beyond next year, F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone said last week that the organization is negotiating with “several stations” for a longer-term agreement. (Awful Announcing, Autoweek)
