Tennis fans in the UK will need to pay an extra £62 per year to watch the Australian Open and French Open, with TNT Sports taking over the broadcast rights.
The events are typically shown live on Eurosport but the channel will stop broadcasting in the UK at the end of February. It will merge into TNT Sports as part of a strategic move by Warner Bros Discovery, which owns both parties.
The change will be a significant one for tennis fans who have typically watched Grand Slam events on Eurosport. It means a subscription to TNT Sports will be required to watch the Australian Open and French Open.
Discovery+ is no longer offering the standard plan and subscribers will be downgraded to the basic plan upon their next renewal. Fans will need the premium plan at £30.99 per month to watch sport content, including Grand Slam events, on TNT Sports.
Unfortunately, there will not be an option to purchase a one-time pass, meaning viewers will be forced to take out a full subscription to watch the Australian Open and French Open.
The change will not affect Wimbledon, which is required by law to be shown on free-to-air television in the UK. Meanwhile, the US Open will continue to be shown on Sky Sports until at least 2028.
A spokesperson for TNT Sports told Ubitennis: “Roland Garros and the Australian Open moving forward will be on TNT Sports and Discovery+ in the UK and Ireland.
“Also, TNT Sports will show the singles finals at Wimbledon in the UK and Ireland (as Eurosport did). Much like other sports subscription services, there won’t be the chance to just purchase a single-sport package.
“The current Eurosport pass wasn’t just for tennis, but a host of other sports such as cycling, winter sports and motorsports. It’s not quite as simple as giving you one price, it just depends on how someone purchases.
“We don’t set the price for other retailers where TNT Sports is offered in the UK and Ireland (i.e. Sky, Virgin Media, EE mobile, BT internet customers). If you buy a Discovery+ premium pass directly, it will cost £30.99 a month.
“This change will ultimately create an even more compelling and valuable sport proposition for fans and simplifies our offer in the market.
“We know consumers want fewer subscriptions and this is part of our long-term plan to deliver more world-class sports content in one place.”
