Warner Bros. Discovery has secured a 10-year, $650 million deal to become the new U.S. home of the French Open starting in 2025. This move is part of WBD’s efforts to expand its sports programming, as it negotiates with the NBA for rights to games. Regardless of the outcome with the NBA, WBD Sports executives are committed to pursuing outside rights.
The agreement with the French Open was first reported by Variety, but a WBD Sports spokesperson declined to comment on the deal. Currently, NBC holds broadcast rights to the Open in the U.S., which it shares with Tennis Channel. WBD already owns European rights to the French Open through its operation of Eurosport pay-TV Networks. Starting next year, the event will be shown on Warner Bros. Discovery cable networks, HBO Max, and Bleacher Report’s digital platform.
In addition to the French Open, WBD recently struck a deal with ESPN to sub-license early round and quarterfinal college football playoff games for the next five years. While the NBA has traditionally been a key property for TNT Sports, the network also covers other major sports like MLB playoffs, NHL postseason and NASCAR.
Negotiations between NBA and WBD Sports continue with Amazon Prime Video and ESPN also presenting offers for broadcast rights while NBC still holds some leverage due to its current partnership with TNT Sports that expires after this season
