French Open Coverage on Tennis Channel Sees 42% Viewer Increase
June 24, 2019
LOS ANGELES, June 13, 2019 – Tennis Channel’s 15-day live coverage of the French Open averaged 266,000 viewers in 2019 according to Nielsen. Compared with 187,000 viewers on average in 2018, the network saw a 42-percent increase in audiences watching its live telecast of the sport’s second major of the year.
Tournament coverage led to live tune-in growth across key demographics for Tennis Channel as well, with 35-percent increases in adults 18-49, 41-percent increases in adults 25-54 and 55-percent increases in adults 35-64. In an industry rarity, the network’s areas of demographic growth are growing by higher percentages than its household gains this year, driven by younger audiences – both men and women – including adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. Additionally, during the tournament, eight of the network’s 10 highest-rated matches in history aired during the French Open (also known as Roland Garros).
The French Open also generated more revenue for Tennis Channel’s streaming service than any tournament in the subscription platform’s five-year history. With a record high of up to 12 live courts per day, Tennis Channel Plus took in more than $1 million in subscriber revenue from the first day of qualifiers to championship Sunday. This marks a 25-percent increase vs. 2018 and a more than 500-percent increase compared to the 2014 French Open, when the service first launched. Throughout the event the network app on which Tennis Channel Plus is housed was among the top-three grossing sports apps on Apple TV, and for four days it was ranked in the top ten among any app on Apple TV (source: App Annie).
In Tennis Channel’s 13th year of French Open coverage, multiple players, coaches, tennis Hall of Famers, celebrities and other VIP guests visited the network’s set on the tournament’s main court, Philippe-Chatrier. These appearances represented more than 100 major tennis championships and more than a dozen Olympic medals.