Scramble for TV rights with Dominic Thiem: ORF also shows Erste Bank Open
In Austria, interest in TV rights for matches with Dominic Thiem's participation is increasing. Three broadcasters vie for the transmissions, because Thiem is a quota generator.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Oct 08, 2020, 10:00 pm
The ORF showed the Thiem matches live, with a remarkable peak value. 838,000 viewers followed the match on ORF 1 against Diego Schwartzman. At the round of 16 against Hugo Gaston on Sunday, 1.083 million viewers were there live.
This match was the most watched match on ORF since the match between Thomas Muster and Sergi Bruguera at the 1997 Key Biscayne tournament. ORF also broadcasts the individual finals for women (Saturday) and men (Sunday) from 3 p.m. on ORF Sport +.
After ServusTV has positioned itself as host broadcaster at the Erste Bank Open for the next five years, a sub-license deal has now apparently been reached with ORF. The radio shows eleven matches a week from the Wiener Stadthalle until 2024 - including those from Thiem. ServusTV, meanwhile, broadcasts four matches per day, and also all of Thiem's matches.
ServusTV also has the Australian Open, the US Open, the ATP Cup and the Generali Open in Kitzbühel in its portfolio. The Masters 1000 tournaments will be broadcast on Sky - as will all ATP 500 events.
The second part of the Thiem Spirit documentary will also run on ServusTV in October.