Tennis Channel Serving Up Multiplatform Opportunities

All told the Santa Monica CAheadquartered network will feature 100 hours of live coverage and 340 overall via encore matches and highlights while Tennis Channel Plus its hybrid digital offering is also serving 500 hours of live matches from the famed red clay courtsIt39s also been a busy time for Allison Bodenmannamp160Tennis Channel39s Senior Vice President Head of Advertising Sales who was working in the company39s New York offices as the tournament began on May 28amp160before making her way to Paris where she took in some of the action around the grounds at Roland Garros entertaining agency clientsquotIt39s tough for the agencies with the Upfront starting after Memorial Day It39s hard to get them to fly to Paris for a couple of daysquot said Bodenmann whose own trek was cut short as she made the return trip across the pond for a tennis industry board meetingamp160before the tourney crowned its 2017 championsThe pace is not only frenetic around the French for the vastly expanded Tennis Channel which Sinclair Broadcasting Group purchased in March 2016 for 350 million Benefiting from its parent39s retransmissionconsent clout with distributors Tennis Channel39s linear subscriber base is pushing toward 60 million subscribers up from 37 million subscribers the month before it was acquiredWhereas many advertisers previously secured schedules over the years looking to tap the network39s affluent genderbalanced audience base amp160Bodenmann said the added reach is now opening doors to new clients and bigger budgets The broader subscriber base has quotremoved objectionsquot for some advertisers as the larger footprint enables them and more viewers to see the network39s quotgreat production values and onair talentquotTennis Channel became rated under the Nielsen Television Index late last December amp160Then this past March Sinclair purchased the assets of Tennis Media Co adding Tennis magazine and websiteamp160tenniscom to its racquet sports holdings setting the stage for multiplatform engagementAlthough Tennis is currently conducting Upfront discussions Bodenmann said clients usually write deals around the end of July The network also does a fair amount of business during the calendar Upfront with those negotiations typically occurring in October and November That39s the same time frame Bodenmann said for those clients that quothaven39t finished up their business for the Australian Openquot Tennis provides live match play as well as expansive previews encore replays highlights and recap fare from the Happy SlamGiven the sport39s voluminous schedule with tournament coverage essentially throughout the year Tennis Channel quotevaluates opportunities week to weekquot said Bodenmann quotWe39re very activequot amp160Those activities now include more integrated editorial and sales opportunitiesBodenmann said she began looking to step up the push for TV and digital doubles advertising plays with the relaunch of the network39s website tennischannelcom in February amp160Although the recent acquisitions of Tennis magazine and tenniscom didn39t synch up well for French Open crossselling Bodenmann said the company has expanded a TVdigital deal with Scottrade to include tenniscomAdding the bimonthly print title which has a circulation of 600000 poses some challenges relative to ad closes that come six weeks ahead of publication date However Bodenmann said Tennis magazine is now part of Upfront discussions and the reaction has been very favorable as the company is now working on opportunities for the SeptemberOctober and NovemberDecember issuesIn particular the company is touting the magazine39s quotHeroesquot initiative whose theme this year is quotHeroes of All Agesquot a look at those involved with the game from elementary school age to those who remain enthusiasts into their golden years amp160Sponsor packages are being shopped across the network the print pub and both websitesBodenmann said that tenniscom and the magazine feature a lot of endemic equipment and apparel advertisers amp160She is looking to broaden their client base with sponsors from Tennis Channel39s roster amp8211 and vice versaSince the two sites the magazine and the network Destination Tennis all feature content on tennis trips and vacations Bodenmann believes the company is wellpositioned to expand within the travel categoryOn the digital side Tennis Channel Plus a hybrid vehicle that functions as a quotTV Everywherequot outlet for authenticated network viewers and is also home to additional live match coverage as well as ondemand and feature content continues to growPreroll ads appear to be authenticated subscribers of the network amp160But there is quota separation of church and statequot for Tennis Channel Plus subscribers who pay 8999 annually for the complementary service She said the company would consider an overarching presenting sponsorship position sans commercials for Tennis Channel PlusAt the French Tennis Channel lists Microsoft Charles Schwab AnheuserBusch Raymond James Samsungamp160ATampampT and Lacoste which is touting Novak Djokovic and his new apparel collection and position as brand ambassador among its returning sponsorsAARP Ameriprise Financial and Procter ampamp Gamble are among the newcomers to the channel39s coverage of the Grand Slam tourney Bodenmann said Expedia and Capital One expanded their network schedules to include the French for the first time while BP and Optum Health are new to both the network and the Grand Slam eventBodenmann is pumped as Sinclair has upped the game amp160quotWe39re one of the fastestgrowing networksquot she said amp160quotIt39s like the early days of cable Things are blossoming all around I39m very excitedquotPictured above Tennis Channel39s Brett Haber and Martina Navratilova interview Rafael Nadal the sport39s quotKing of ClayquotPhoto credit Fred MullanecameraworkusaClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Tennis Channel Serving Up Multiplatform Opportunities

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