Seven Bolsters Australian Open Series Coverage

SYDNEY: The Seven Network is launching expanded coverage of The Australian Open Series, with more than 600 live and free matches and 2,000 hours of total video content.

Seven is increasing its coverage across broadcast television, online and mobile, complementing a further expansion in Seven’s coverage of The Australian Open and the Summer of Tennis across Seven, 7TWO and 7mate. In addition to the Australian Open, Seven will air and stream live the Summer of 7Tennis across TV, online and mobile, including the Fast 4, Hopman Cup, Brisbane International, Sydney International and Kooyong Classic.

Across the Open and Seven’s Summer of 7Tennis, Aussies will be able to watch live on-air, online and on iOS and Android mobile devices. Seven’s expanded coverage will include the updated 7Tennis mobile app with more than 2,000 hours of live, exclusive and free tennis, catch-up and on-demand short-form highlights. Seven will also launch its first freemium offering of The Australian Open, with an upgrade that features more than 600 matches to live stream in HD, select long-form full-match replays and fewer commercials.

Clive Dickens, Seven’s chief digital officer, said: “We have listened to our audience and not only do they think all Australian sport should be free but they also told us they would be willing to pay for additional features like HD streaming, extra content and less commercials. The 7Tennis product is another first to market innovation for Seven that we can’t wait to share with the fans.”

Kurt Burnette, Seven’s chief revenue officer, noted: “The 2016 Olympic Games broke records but more importantly through data, analytics and insights gave us clear insights into how consumers view our content across screens. The 7Tennis innovation across all screens is that insight in action in direct response to consumer needs. It also offers our advertisers and marketing partners the ability to be connected with consumers across every part of that customer journey. We will deliver unparalleled reach and effectiveness across connected screens, incorporating the latest in media technology, measurement and consumer insights.”

Saul Shtein, Seven’s head of sport, added: “The Australian Open is one of our biggest events in sport on Seven, and we look forward to creating a coverage that will capture every key moment and connect with our audiences on every screen. We will be launching some new innovations in our coverage of The Australian Open as we launch into an extraordinary 18 months for Seven and deliver the biggest events in sports across 2017 and 2018.”