honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:11 a.m., Thursday, March 20, 2008

Tennis: WTA to show 8 matches free on Web site in '08

Associated Press

LONDON — The WTA Tour will broadcast a free live match on its Web site in select countries this weekend.

The women's professional tour said today it will stream the final at the Pacific Life Open on its Web site, SonyEricssonWTATour.com. It's the first of eight Tier I tournament finals the WTA plans to stream live.

However, the women's final Sunday in Indian Wells, Calif., will be shown in all countries except the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and Europe.

"We have broadcast agreements in place already (in those countries)," said Roger Gatchalian, the WTA's director of digital media.

In 2009, fans may be charged to view live matches on the site. The men's tour shows live matches on its site, but it charges by the day, the tournament or the year.

"The business model is going to be determined by what we discover this year," Gatchalian said. "We're obviously looking to make this a revenue-generating venture. Men have already had a foray into this for a couple of years. Our plans are just kicking into gear."

The next Tier I event is the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. The Family Circle Cup follows in April in Charleston, S.C.

Other Tier I events include the German Open and the Italian Open in May, the Rogers Cup in Montreal in July, the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow in October.