MSM network gets five-year rights for ATP Tour events

MSM network will air the live telecast of ATP's premium tier events.

Mumbai: Multi Screen Media Network on Thursday announced that it has acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast ATP World Tour tennis events for the next 5 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 alongside the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, a media release said.

In addition to the live telecast, the channel is to broadcast the highlights and the news service which would include player interviews around the series of tournaments.

The ATP World Tour is yet another significant addition to the network's line-up of live tennis events which presently includes the Australian Open and the Champions Tennis League, the release added.

MSM Chief Executive Officer NP Singh said, "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 recognized as one of the most followed sports in the world."

Sony Six and Kix Business Head Prasanna Krishnan said, "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."