ESPN Extends RG Contract

479 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by GabbylovesLleyton, Feb 14, 2003

TennisHack

Discussion Starter · Feb 13, 2003

[hat tip to Lily, who put this in the Rogi forum]

ESPN locks up French Open through 2006
Associated Press

ESPN signed a four-year contract extension Thursday to cover the French Open through 2006.

ESPN and ESPN2 will air a total of more than 80 hours from this year's tournament starting May 26. ESPN will show both women's semifinals June 5 and one men's semifinal the next day.

Last year's women's semifinals, won by Venus and Serena Williams, averaged a little more than a million TV homes for ESPN. That made the telecast the most-viewed French Open show ever on cable.

NBC will show the men's and women's finals, as it has every year since 1983. The network also aired the French Open in 1975-79.

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*sigh* I wonder if they will do as bad a job this year as they did with the Aussie Open. I HATE ESPN! :fiery:

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ktwtennis

· #2 · Feb 14, 2003

I hope this depletes their bank account for Wimbledon so they don't get that too!!

Sjengster

· #3 · Feb 14, 2003

I suppose this leads to the rather paradoxical situation where you hope that all the Americans go out early, thus forcing ESPN to switch the rest of their coverage to other contenders for the title (although this ain't gonna happen till hell freezes over on the women's side, of course).

Well, with the obvious exception of Agassi they all went out first or second round last year, with only Vinnie Spadea making it as far as the third round, so perhaps the same will happen this time round?

walee

· #4 · Feb 14, 2003

Sjengster said:
I suppose this leads to the rather paradoxical situation where you hope that all the Americans go out early, thus forcing ESPN to switch the rest of their coverage to other contenders for the title

Other contenders

? You mean the REAL contenders, right? Or you believe there's any contender among the Americans

. Right, didn't Pete said he's going to win RG

?

Why ESPN only shows one of the 2 Men Semifinals

. Why do they think it's important to announce that they are only going to show one, not both? And what if Andre in one semifinal and Pete in the other one, who'll they showing

?

tennischick

· #5 · Feb 14, 2003

another Agassi Open...?

not that i'm complaining...

Chloe le Bopper

· #6 · Feb 14, 2003

I hold out hope that Roddick will lose early-ish again this year, so that I won't have to worry about him clogging up precious air time, while they try to shove down my throat how Roddick is a great all surface player who is read to contend for this tite *barfs*

As for Fish, Dent and gang - I won't have to worry about any extra coverage of the brat pack until Wimbledon where we'll surely be graced with Dent for at least a round or serveral.

Sadly Andre will stick around until the quarters likely. But I can console myself in the fact that he's likely going to lose to somebody I like again - either the same person, or somebody else would do just fine.

TennisHack

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 14, 2003

Sjengster said:
I suppose this leads to the rather paradoxical situation where you hope that all the Americans go out early, thus forcing ESPN to switch the rest of their coverage to other contenders for the title (although this ain't gonna happen till hell freezes over on the women's side, of course).

Well, with the obvious exception of Agassi they all went out first or second round last year, with only Vinnie Spadea making it as far as the third round, so perhaps the same will happen this time round?

Oh, I'm already hoping the Americans will go out early, especially on the men's side

But you see, ESPN likes to replay their matches instead of showing live ones (as happened with the Aussie Open this year . . .), as if to lament the fact that our guys suck on clay.

Like I said, last year I didn't see any of Guga's matches, and only the last 3 of Ferrero's (quarters & semi on ESPN). So while ESPN's head honchos decide who is and isn't a *real* contender, we're stuck following the live scoreboard as if there wasn't any coverage :fiery:

I also hope ESPN doesn't suck up Wimbledon. Keep it on TNT!! We need good coverage of at least one Slam!!

And if ESPN did suck it up, I'm pretty sure they'd try to undercut NBC's take since ESPN is affiliated with ABC. Hopefully that'll be what keeps them from The Championships.

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Chloe le Bopper

· #8 · Feb 14, 2003

TH, did you not see most of Gaudio-Ferrero? They wisely showed that match on TSN. It was about the only time that I liked them all tournament

TennisHack

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 14, 2003

If by "most of" you mean the last set and a random tiebreak, then yes, I guess I did.

At least NBC had the good sense to show not only David Nalbandian (remember, pre-Wimbledon), but the Haas/Nieminen third rounder (God bless those Finnish fans!) as well as Safin's matches.

Chloe le Bopper

· #10 · Feb 14, 2003

At least NBC had the good sense to show not only David Nalbandian (remember, pre-Wimbledon),

Are you sure that it wasn't just his match with Safin that they showed?

For what it's worth the showed a match of his in Rome earlier that year

TennisHack

Discussion Starter · #11 · Feb 14, 2003

I honestly don't remember if they showed more than one of his matches, but it was great -- I'd never really heard of David before RG (last year's claycourt season was an especially busy time for me). Whatever match they were scheduled to show ended early (maybe it was a ladies match?) so they went court-hopping.

How I long for the days when NBC had full rights . . . or better yet, when USA Network had them . . .

Chloe le Bopper

· #12 · Feb 14, 2003

I honestly don't remember if they showed more than one of his matches, but it was great -- I'd never really heard of David before RG (last year's claycourt season was an especially busy time for me). Whatever match they were scheduled to show ended early (maybe it was a ladies match?) so they went court-hopping.

Well the first time that I saw him was Rome 2002 against Grosjean. He was up in the third 5-3 40-15 on his serve, but ended up losing 5-7. I decided that I would keep an eye on him then, and Wimbledon rolled around and I had no choice.

Anyhow - I assume it was likely the Safin match they showed, but maybe I'm wrong? That would have been the third round.

TennisHack

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 14, 2003

Yes, sounds about right. NBC has coverage of both weekends of Roland Garros. The third round was a pretty good one from what I remember.

Chloe le Bopper

· #14 · Feb 14, 2003

Safin beat David in 4 sets that match. David got a pile of crappy draws last clay season. He lost early in the big tournaments to players like Haas, Safin, Hewitt, Grosjean, Safin again... you get the idea.

He has a LOT of points that he can make up this time around. If he falls in the first round of Wimbledon he'll still be a top 20 player. So much for having done nothing, eh?

Okay wow did I ever get off topic.

*moves on*

Scotso

· #15 · Feb 14, 2003

*yawn*

J. Corwin

· #16 · Feb 14, 2003

espn

GabbylovesLleyton

· #17 · Feb 14, 2003

I hate it whem ESPN shows Grand Slams because they are too worried about their basketball, baseball, and other sports to give enough coverage to the French Open!....it is better than nothing though!

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