The French Tennis Federation (FFT) has issued an invitation to tender for the provision of broadcast transmission and streaming services at its flagship French Open between 2021 and 2023.
SportBusiness understands that the tender has been split up into three parts: broadcast transmission service requirements; streaming service requirements; and common transmission and streaming requirements.
Interested parties will be able to bid for just the broadcast transmission or streaming service requirements, or for both.
A bid deadline of October 2 has been set by the FFT.
The FFT went to market at the end of last year with its host broadcast tender in a process ultimately won by HBS, the Infront-owned sports broadcast production company. That appointment – also from 2021 to 2023 – was part of the FFT’s moves to take the production activities in-house.
The production contract with HBS mirrors in length the French Open’s new domestic broadcast rights deals as evening sessions are introduced at the Roland Garros venue.
Online streaming giant Amazon has picked up a package of rights from 2021 to 2023, including matches played on the Simonne-Mathieu Court and the night sessions. Public-service broadcaster France Télévisions picked up the first rights package, which includes all tournament matches except those played on the Simonne-Mathieu Court and night sessions on the Philippe-Chatrier Court, the main show court.
The semi-finals and finals will be co-broadcast by the two broadcasters.
This year’s French Open has been rescheduled to take place between September 27 and October 11. It was previously moved from its traditional slot at the end of May and beginning of June to September 20-October 4.