FOX Sports Renews Broadcasting Rights for Australian Open

HONG KONG: FOX International Channels (FIC) Asia has renewed its exclusive rights to the Australian Open, signing a multiyear contract that will see the pay-TV network FOX Sports broadcasting the tennis match in 20 Asian territories.

Through a deal struck with Tennis Australia, FIC will have the broadcast rights for the first Grand Slam tournament in areas including Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam, among others.

Coverage is set to include more than 100 hours of live tennis action, as well as bonus programming across multiple platforms and devices. This year’s match will also be covered in Mandarin and Cantonese, while next year’s game is slated to expand multi-language coverage with the addition of Thai, Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia.

The Australian Open has been part of FOX Sports’ lineup for over 16 years. The 2014 tournament began Monday and will end January 26.

“The Australian Open is one of the most celebrated events in the annual sports calendar and we are very pleased to further strengthen our relationship with Tennis Australia with this renewal,” said Rohit D’Silva, the senior VP of content and communications for sports at FIC Asia. “We are committed to further expand the audience base for the property by making it more locally relevant, engaging and entertaining for fans across Asia.”