Star India has extended its long-running media rights agreement for the grand slam tennis tournament Wimbledon until 2023.
The pay-television broadcaster has penned a deal with the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which works with IMG on international media rights marketing, ahead of the 2021 edition of the competition, which will see Wimbledon remain on Star India’s regular network.
The tournament, scheduled from 28 June to 11 July, will be aired on Star India’s Disney Plus Hotstar VIP OTT streaming service, along with its other channels.
“Wimbledon fans in India are among our most passionate, and it is a very important market for us, and so we are very pleased to see the coverage of our event continue under the stewardship of Star India across their impressive network,” commented Mick Desmond, Commercial and Media Director at the AELTC.
In April last year, the AELTC was forced to cancel the annual grand slam due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, following guidance from the UK government and local public health authorities.
Sanjog Gupta, Head of Sport at Star India, remarked: “This relationship adds to our tennis portfolio which already entails the French and the US Open, exclusively available on the select portfolio of channels on Star Sports and on Disney Plus Hotstar. It helps fortify our position as the premier destination for marquee tennis and the home of sports for Indian fans.”
Wimbledon already has multi-year contracts in place with Sky New Zealand and Nine in Australia for the rights to the grand slam, ensuring maximum coverage of the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
