ESPN and the United State Tennis Association have signed a new 12-year agreement, which will see ESPN as the exclusive rightsholder of the US Open in the U.S. through 2037.
The deal starts in 2026 and will also make ESPN the home for the US Open in Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada on TSN and RDS. This is ESPN’s longest-term tennis agreement.
The deal includes a number of notable provisions for ESPN, including expanded streaming rights, a critical strategic goal ahead of next year’s “flagship” streaming service launch. ESPN will also secure whip-arpound covrage, enabling it to do a RedZone or Gold Zone-style program on ESPN+.
And, notably, ESPN will also get “limited” sublicense rights, letting it re-sell some days or matches to other sports outlets.
As part of the new agreement, USTA will also “take over host broadcaster duties” starting in 2026, taking over hosting duties from ESPN. ESPN in turn will focus its efforts on the more than 260 hours of annual coverage planned for the U.S. and in international territories.
ESPN had previously produced the world feed for the event, but with the new deal the USTA will take over that responsibility.
The sports giant will also run expanded coverage of Fan Week, including coverage of the exhibition events that the USTA has hosted during the week leading up to the US Open.
More to come.
