The United States Tennis Association (USTA), the national governing body for tennis in the U.S. and owner of the US Open, and IMG, a global powerhouse in sports, fashion, events, and media, have announced a significant expansion and extension of their long-standing and successful partnership.
Building on a collaboration that commenced in 2011, this multi-year agreement sees IMG assume an even more prominent role in managing and advising the USTA on both international and domestic media rights for the prestigious US Open Tennis Championships.
This enhanced partnership underscores the shared ambition of the USTA and IMG to further amplify the US Open’s global reach, deepen fan engagement, and maximise media rights revenues. A pivotal aspect of this extension was IMG’s crucial involvement in the recently concluded landmark media rights renewal with ESPN. This agreement guarantees the continued broadcast of the US Open across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean through 2037, ensuring consistent and significant exposure and bolstering revenue streams for the USTA to reinvest in the growth of tennis.
Speaking on the occasion, Kirsten Corio, Chief Commercial Officer, USTA, said, “IMG has been an integral part of the US Open’s growth, ensuring that it reaches core fans and new audiences across the world through innovative local and regional media distribution partnerships. We are thrilled to extend the relationship with IMG to together bring the most spectacular sports and entertainment event to the world for many more years to come.”
Ed Mallaburn, SVP, Sports Management, IMG, added, “The US Open has grown into one of the world’s most engaging and exciting sporting events, capturing the attention of audiences of all ages, spanning far beyond tennis and sports fans. The USTA continues to push the boundaries of what is possible on-site and onscreen, and we couldn’t be prouder to continue to support such a bold and innovative rightsholder. The sport of tennis needs to leverage its unique assets in an ever-changing ecosystem and this year’s revamped mixed doubles event is a perfect example of how the USTA are doing this.”
The 2024 US Open achieved a record-breaking global viewership of over 175 million and was broadcast in more than 200 territories via 60 channels, highlighting the tournament’s substantial international appeal. This renewed collaboration is strategically designed to build upon this impressive momentum through the development of innovative local and regional media distribution partnerships, further expanding the US Open’s global footprint.
This announcement coincides with an exciting period of evolution for the US Open, with the 2025 edition set to introduce several significant enhancements designed to elevate the fan experience and cater to growing global interest. These include a reimagined Mixed Doubles Championship during Fan Week, featuring top-tier players competing for a substantial $1 million prize, and the historic first Sunday start to the singles main draw in the Open Era. These initiatives underscore the USTA’s commitment to continuously evolving the tournament to meet the demands of a global audience.
The USTA and IMG share a unified vision to continually enhance the US Open experience for fans across the globe and to solidify their position as a premier event on the international sporting calendar. This extended and expanded partnership represents a significant stride towards realising these shared objectives.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the owner and operator of the US Open. A not-for-profit organisation with more than 635,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds back into growing the game. It promotes and develops the growth of tennis at every level in the U.S., from community tennis to grassroots programs and pathway initiatives to supporting America’s best players at the highest level.
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world’s greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specialises in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings. IMG is a partner to a number of the world’s leading tennis events and tours, including the AELTC (Wimbledon), FFT (Roland Garros), ATP Media (ATP Tour) and WTA Ventures (WTA Tour).