ServusTV sports director Christian Nehiba: "Dominic Thiem raises entire tournaments"
ServusTV has secured the rights to all Dominic Thiem matches at the French Open 2022 for Austria. In addition, there is a top game of the day and from the semifinals all games for women and men. ServusTV sports director Christian Nehiba can hardly hide his anticipation in the interview.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 19, 2022, 08:35 pm
tennisnet : Mr. Nehiba. As with the Australian Open, ServusTV will also show the finest live tennis from the French Open. What can Austrian tennis fans expect?
Christian Nehiba : As always, passionate and competent reporting. We're really looking forward to it because we've been at the French Open for a while. For us, but also for the Austrian spectators, Roland Garros is probably the biggest Grand Slam tournament of the year. It's exactly the time when everyone has spring fever, wants to get out and play tennis themselves. I think there will be a lot of interest. And of course I hope that Dominic Thiem will play a good tournament.
tennisnet : Which matches will the viewers be able to see on ServusTV?
Nehiba : As with the Australian Open and the US Open, we will bring the top game of the day. From the semi-finals then all matches for women and men. And of course all Dominic Thiem games. So that there will be many!
tennisnet : For the first time this year there will also be night sessions in Roland Garros. To what extent are these relevant for ServusTV?
Nehiba : As a rule, we will take care of afternoon matches in the first week. And will always be broadcast between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. The exception to this are the Thiem matches, which we accompany at all times.
tennisnet : What does the commentator and moderator team for ServusTV look like?
Nehiba : Philipp Krumholz and I will be commenting, together in the tried and tested way, with Alex Antonitsch as an expert. On site in Paris are the moderators Andrea Schlager and Christian Baier with our expert Christopher Kas.
"Tennis is very dependent on Dominic Thiem's successes"
tennisnet : From a global perspective, the range of sports on ServusTV has expanded with the addition of Formula 1 and the Champions League, for example. How does tennis compare to these disciplines with the spectators?
Nehiba : You have to say very clearly: Formula 1 outshines everything and has had an incredible impact. And that despite the fact that after 50 years we are the first free TV broadcaster to broadcast Formula 1 with a virtual monopoly for the ORF. We get unbelievable odds with every Grand Prix. As a rule, 600,000 to 700,000 spectators watch a race here, with market shares in excess of 40 percent. No other sport achieves these values. This is extraordinary. The Champions League and the Europa League are also very well received.
tennisnet : And tennis?
Nehiba : Tennis is very dependent on Dominic Thiem's successes. Dominic raised entire tournaments with his performance. But vice versa, of course, we also miss it in the entire reporting. We are in good spirits that he will soon be over his long dry spell.
tennisnet : How did the Australian Open 2022 go down with your viewers? Dominic Thiem was still missing...
Nehiba : We've had very good ratings in the Grand Slam tournaments. Which also has to do with special games and players. In Australia we had this momentum that Rafael Nadal was so strong and he ended up having this historic success. There are also a few interesting youngsters to come. I'm not worried that the French Open might not work. But of course the background noise is completely different when a local hero with a chance of winning is at the start.
tennisnet : ServusTV is now also trend-setting online.
Nehiba : It's always worth checking out. We take care of about 40 sports, but also show features that we either take over from partners or produce ourselves. This is more than an addition to TV, but actually already a second channel that gets the same attention as ServusTV in linear television.
tennisnet : The exceptionally good picture quality of the sports broadcasts by ServusTV is striking. Is there a secret behind it?
Nehiba : I'm not a technical expert, but we offer the highest quality HD picture on the market. And that is also the claim of our house. Not only in terms of content, but also in terms of quality.
tennisnet : What's next for tennis fans after the French Open on ServusTV?
Nehiba : In Austria we broadcast the two big tournaments, the Generali Open in Kitzbühel and the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. We're really glad. Kitzbühel as the big summer tournament, Vienna with a great line-up. In Germany we also have a big package with Stuttgart for men, then the WTA tournament in Berlin - where 17 of the top 20 players have already registered - and also the ATP Tour 500 tournament at Rothenbaum in Hamburg.