Sportsnet also acquires ATP Masters 1000 and 500 Series for 260 hours of
tennis coverage this year
TORONTO, Feb. 8 /CNW/ – Rogers Sportsnet and Tennis Canada today announced that the Canadian network has signed an agreement to
broadcast the Rogers Cup, the ATP Masters 1000 Series and the ATP 500 series for an eye-popping 260 hours of tennis coverage.
“It is fitting to have Rogers Cup, one of the most storied tennis events
in the world, broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet,” said Scott Moore, President, Rogers Broadcasting. “This new agreement essentially turns the Canadian events into a Grand
Slam like broadcast. Fans will have more tennis on TV with greater
viewing options than ever before. Our partnership extends well beyond
the two Rogers Cup tournaments as Rogers Sportsnet will become the home
for over 20 top tier ATP World Tour Tournaments.”
“This new partnership will benefit tennis fans in Canada who will now
have the opportunity to watch more professional tennis than ever
before. Rogers Sportsnet has really stepped up by making both the ATP
Masters 1000 and 500 Series tournaments available for viewing in
Canada.” said Michael S. Downey, President and CEO, Tennis Canada. “With multiple channel and platform support, Rogers Sportsnet will
also ensure that the world’s first virtually combined tennis tournament
– Rogers Cup presented by National Bank – exceeds viewer expectations
right out of the gate.”
Sportsnet, the live-event high-definition leader in Canada, will be the
first English network ever to broadcast both the men’s (from Montreal)
and women’s matches (from Toronto) simultaneously during Rogers Cup
play, from opening day on Monday, August 8th to the quarter-finals on
Friday, August 12th, on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific
regional channels and the nationally distributed Sportsnet One. Rogers
Cup will be highlighted by the game’s biggest stars including the ATP’s
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray and the WTA’s Serena
Williams, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Sportsnet will also offer all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments
including the BNP Paribas Open from Indian Wells, Sony Ericsson Open
from Miami, Rolex Masters from Monte Carlo and the Barclays ATP World
Tour Finals from London. For the first time ever, Canadians will also
be able to watch 10 different ATP 500 tournaments including the German
Open Tennis Championships, Legg Mason Tennis Classic, China Open and
the Valencia Open 500. All events, including the Rogers Cup, will also
be available through live streaming on sportsnet.ca.
The first tournament on Sportsnet’s schedule will be the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships set to begin on February 17, which will feature Canadian Milos Raonic, who is currently Canada’s highest ranked male singles player at number
84. Raonic became the first Canadian male to reach the third round of
a Grand Slam event in 10 years when he defeated 22nd ranked Michael
Llodra at the Australian Open in January of this year.
The full schedule for the ATP Masters 1000 and 500 Series for the 2011
season can be found at the following URL:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/2011/02/08/sportsnet_rogers_cup_release/
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