Discovery has extended its agreement with the Fédération Française de Tennis for the rights to the French Open for a further five years.
The tournament will continue to be available to tennis fans across Europe (excluding France) via Eurosport, Discovery Plus and the broadcaster’s free-to-air channels.
The new deal, which begins in 2022, extends the FFT’s partnership with Eurosport to over 35 years, having initially launched in 1989.
In 2021, Eurosport has reported significant year-on-year growth in its audience watching via digital platforms during the first eight days of the Grand Slam event. Countries which have seen double-digit increases in streaming numbers include Poland (+122 per cent), Spain (+58 per cent), Russia (+35 per cent) the UK (+24 per cent), Italy (+23 per cent) and the Netherlands (+12 per cent).
For the first time, viewers in Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway and Sweden have been able to watch the tournament via Discovery’s recently launched streaming service, Discovery Plus.
Andrew Georgiou, president of Eurosport said: “Our relationship with Roland-Garros spans many years and during that time we have consistently delivered ever increasing viewership and engagement as the trusted partner of the FFT.
“Our coverage is recognised for reaching the widest audience by harnessing the greatest expertise and the most innovative technology, and by committing to a renewed long-term partnership with the FFT, we will continue to bring world-class tennis from Roland-Garros to millions of fans each year across Europe.”
