MSM acquires ATP World Tour broadcast rights

Telecast rights extend to SAARC countries for the next five years.

Multi Screen Media (MSM) Network has announced its acquisition of the exclusive rights to broadcast tournaments of the Elite Men's Professional Tennis Circuit - the ATP World Tour - for the next five years, commencing January 2016.

As part of the rights package, the network will air the live telecast of ATP's premium tier events, the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events and the ATP World Tour 500 events, along with the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. In addition to the live telecast, the channel will broadcast the highlights and the news service which will include player interviews during the tournaments.

The ATP tournaments determine player rankings, as well as the seeding for the Grand Slam tournaments. The men's tennis season concludes each year with the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals which is now considered the biggest tournament outside the four Majors and often determines the year-end No.1 Emirates ATP ranking. The event is notable for some outstanding matches in the sport's history due to its unique round-robin format.

The ATP World Tour is yet another significant addition to the network's line-up of live tennis events which currently includes the Australian Open and the Champions Tennis League. N P Singh, chief executive officer, MSM, says, "Sports in India has a strong cultural significance and a way of unifying viewership across audiences. Tennis is a high-consumption sport and the ATP reflects the best of men's tennis globally. Our association with ATP is a strategic step in the direction of firmly establishing our commitment to tennis which is recognised as one of the most followed sports in the world."

Prasana Krishnan, business head, Sony Six and Kix, adds, "The ATP World Tour will feature the world's best tennis players on our network throughout the year. Our fans can now look forward to the world's top-ranked players in men's professional tennis. This is a valued addition to our line-up of major tennis events on our network making it the one-stop TV destination for tennis enthusiasts."

Mark Webster, CEO, ATP Media, says, "We are delighted that MSM has acquired the rights to the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and 500 events along with our season finale, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. We are certain that MSM will provide the passion and superb production values required to showcase the finest male tennis players competing at the world's most exciting venues."