Jun 24th, 2018

Jun 24th, 2018

The summer of tennis will now be coming to Nine in 2019 after an agreement was reached with Tennis Australia and the Seven Network to bring forward its broadcast rights deal by one year.

Nine had already secured the rights for tennis on a $300 million, five-year deal from 2020 but negotiated to secure the rights for 2019 for $48.5 million.

(AAP) Australia's Nick Kyrgios will be one of the drawcards for the 2019 Australian Open. (AAP)

“There’s an air of excitement at Nine about being the new home of tennis, so to be able to start our new deal a year early brings us all much delight,” Nine CEO Hugh Marks said.

“As I said back in March, the timing of tennis and the audience demographics it delivers are a perfect fit for Nine and its advertisers.

“We’re also mighty pleased to have been able to settle on a price for the additional year that is consistent with our original offer to Seven.”

The rights granted for the one-year extension are the same as the original deal, with a phenomenal package for tennis fans including all audio-visual rights for broadcast, streaming, mobile, digital and social platforms.

(AAP) Former champion Serena Williams will be aiming to compete at the Australian Open in 2019. (AAP)

The six-year deal encompasses the Australian Open in Melbourne and the lead-up tournaments around Australia – the Hopman Cup in Perth and the Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart Internationals.

“2019 marks a new era for Tennis Australia with a new domestic broadcast partner in Nine,” Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said.

“We’ve enjoyed a 40-plus year partnership with the Seven Network and are glad we could reach an agreement which is in all our best interests.