The international sports media agency has replaced the European Broadcasting Union in a deal that will run from the 2012 edition through to 2016. This year’s French Open is set to conclude this weekend. The contract was signed with Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) and marks a “new distribution strategy”, according to MP & Silva.
The new approach will see the agency undertake an individual territory-by-territory distribution strategy in key territories across Europe. A successful market-by-market approach such as this has been demonstrated by other top-tier rights properties such as Wimbledon and UEFA Euro 2008.
“Roland Garros is one of the most important international sporting events in the world and we are extremely honoured to be given this opportunity to work closely with the FFT,” said MP & Silva CEO Andrea Radrizzani. “We believe that this is a historical moment for Roland Garros.”
Radrizzani added: “Now is the perfect time to engage more fully with the key markets of Europe and to examine new opportunities. At the same time, our strategy envisages working with some of the federation’s long-term incumbent partners, so we are offering continuity, as well as change. We believe that together, we will significantly enhance the positioning and value of Roland Garros.”
Michel Grach, the FFT’s media and sponsorship director, added: “We are committed to constant innovation and evolution to ensure the best quality coverage for tennis fans across Europe. We believe that our partnership with MP & Silva will allow us a more flexible commercial approach in selecting the most appropriate media partners in each market and this will enable us to make sure that tennis fans across Europe can get the widest, the most in-depth and the highest quality coverage of such an exciting event.”