BT Sport ups its commitment to women's sport with new WTA broadcast deal
BT Sport has strengthened its commitment to women’s sport with a new and improved broadcast deal with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
The sports broadcaster has signed a three year renewal with the WTA in deal which will see it show up to 52 WTA tournaments throughout the year, a significant increase on the 30 events per year included in the current agreement.
BT Sport will also hold the digital rights to broadcast highlights and behind the scenes WTA content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The new deal will continue to include the premier WTA tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Beijing, as well as the WTA finals in Singapore.
Simon Green, chief executive of BT Sport, said it was "delighted" to not only extend its deal with the WTA, but also add even more women’s tennis to its calendar.
He continued: “From 2017, we will be broadcasting up to 156 events over a three-year period and showcasing the best in women’s world tennis and British tennis too.”
As well as the BT Sport deal the WTA has also extended its broadcast reach through Qatari broadcaster BeIN Media Group who will now show women’s tennis in over 30 territories, including Spain, the USA, Australia and across the Middle East and North Africa.
BT Sport’s increased commitment comes at a time when sponsors and broadcasters are coming under increasing pressure to do their part to help overhaul age-old stereotypes.