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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