London: The BBC and the ATP have agreed a two-year extension to their Barclays ATP World Tour Finals broadcast agreement, the ATP announced on Wednesday. The new deal will see the BBC broadcast the next two editions of the event at The O2 in London in November 2012 and 2013.
The BBC will broadcast one live match every day of the tournament including the opening match, one semi-final and the final. The BBC iPlayer will offer all BBC broadcast matches.
Brad Drewett, ATP Executive President & Chairman, said: “We’re very happy to continue our partnership with the BBC for a further two years. This agreement provides a fantastic platform for showcasing our jewel event to millions of people on terrestrial television in the UK. We look forward to the best players in the world putting on another fantastic show for fans worldwide.”
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is the year-end culmination to the men's professional tennis season, featuring only the world's best eight singles players and doubles teams. Featuring a unique round robin format, and with only the world’s elite players competing, the season-ending tournament guarantees more top eight match-ups than any other event throughout the season. In 2011, Roger Federer captured the season-ending title for a record sixth time. More than 250,000 fans have attended the tournament in each of the past three years.
Barbara Slater, BBC Director Sport, said: "The tournament is a prestigious and fitting finale to the season and we’re delighted that BBC viewers will continue to be able to see top quality tennis as the world’s best players compete in London."
The BBC first broadcast the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2009 when the event moved from Shanghai to London. This year’s tournament takes place from 5-12 November.
Indian Sports News Network