NBC Sports Extends French Open Coverage Through 2024

12:04 PM PDT 8/5/2012 by Jane Kellogg

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The tennis tournament, which has aired on the Comcast network for 30 continuous years, has a new multi-platform deal extending it's live coverage by 10 hours.

Since 1983, the French Open has always aired on NBC. On Sunday, plans were finalized to make sure that doesn't change for at least another 12 years.

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The NBC Sports Group and the French Tennis Federation signed a multi-year, multi-platform contract extending the network's coverage and digital rights to the Grand Slam event through 2024. Responding to the digital era's need for news as it happens, the deal also includes 10 more hours of live television coverage.

While NBC will continue to air the opening sunday, middle weekend, and live championship, the network's coverage will now include Memorial Day play and the women's semifinals.

“The French Open is one of the world’s most celebrated sports events,” said Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “This ground-breaking agreement will extend our relationship with Roland Garros through 2024, and provides tennis fans with more comprehensive coverage than ever before, including live streaming of more matches.”

“After 30 years of outstanding work in televising the French Open, the French Tennis Federation is thrilled to renew their American network agreement with NBC for a long term period,” said Michel Grach, director of media and sponsorship, French Tennis Federation. “This new agreement will increase NBC's hours of coverage of the tournament, which will continue to build Roland Garros' American audience. NBC and FFT reinforce their partnership at a very strategic period in FFT's history with the start of the new stadium program.”

Live streaming of the event will be available on NBCsports.com, as well as online-only analysis by NBC's tennis commentators.

The network first began airing the French tennis tournament in 1975 after they signed a 3-year deal, and they were the first American network to cover the French Open. CBS covered the tournament for three years starting in 1980, until it returned to NBC.