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CVC Capital Companions is in talks over a $600m deal that may convey collectively the lads’s and girls’s professional tennis calendars and permit the non-public fairness agency to purchase into the game.
Beneath the proposals, CVC would take a 15 per cent stake in One Tennis, a brand new entity set as much as handle media and knowledge rights for each excursions, in line with individuals aware of the proposals, valuing it at $4bn.
The Affiliation of Tennis Professionals and the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation, the governing our bodies of the excursions, would stay as separate entities and be answerable for sporting choices.
However they might co-ordinate schedules so female and male gamers would play in additional of the identical occasions, as they do within the “majors” — the 4 elite tournaments together with Wimbledon and the US Open which have a separate governing physique.
If agreed, the deal would mark a primary foray into tennis for CVC, a Luxembourg-based non-public fairness group that has been making a push for sports activities offers worldwide, together with in soccer, rugby, volleyball, basketball and motor racing.
The agency used to personal Method One and MotoGP and has purchased into the Six Nations, Premiership Rugby and Professional 14 rugby tournaments in addition to the Worldwide Volleyball Federation. It has held talks to put money into Italy’s Serie A soccer league, Germany’s Bundesliga and the San Antonio Spurs basketball group.
CVC’s current technique has been to attempt to purchase minority stakes in main competitions in an effort to achieve sufficient affect to take over the business operating of sports activities leagues and tournaments and bundle collectively media rights packages to promote around the globe.
CVC declined to remark.
The ATP tour consists of 64 tournaments in 31 nations, whereas the WTA, based by Billie Jean King in 1973, runs greater than 50.
Beneath the proposed deal One Tennis would handle the broadcasting rights for each our bodies’ tournaments, in addition to the rights to promote knowledge to playing corporations.
The ATP has a contract with IMG for betting knowledge whereas the WTA has a cope with Stats Carry out, each of which may very well be overseen by One Tennis if the deal goes forward.
Mark Webster, chief government of the ATP’s present gross sales and broadcast arm ATP Media, has been lined as much as run One Tennis, with ATP Media changing into a part of the brand new entity, an individual aware of the matter mentioned.
A deal might probably be agreed as quickly as this month, one of many individuals mentioned. It might goal to create an entity that might ultimately bid to run the grand slam tournaments’ media and knowledge rights, they added.
The WTA and ATP mentioned they had been “regularly searching for methods to convey the game nearer collectively with a view to present an enhanced expertise for followers, gamers and tournaments”. They added: “By working collectively, we consider there could also be important alternatives forward and we’re exploring all choices. These are preliminary phases and any alternatives can be assessed in shut session with our respective stakeholders.”
Each organisations had been pressured to droop tournaments final yr due to the coronavirus pandemic. Information of the talks had been first reported by Sky Information
Andrea Gaudenzi, chair of the ATP, advised the Monetary Instances final yr that he was in favour of merging the ATP and the WTA. Roger Federer, who shares the report of profitable 20 main titles, and Billie Jean King have additionally spoken out in favour of a merger.
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