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Report: ASIC investigation into Australian Open broadcast rights

Tennis Australia said to be under investigation for selling broadcast rights to the Australian Open without a competitive bidding process.

There are reports Tennis Australia is under investigation by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission for selling broadcast rights to the Australian Open without a competitive bidding process.

Tennis Australia sold the 2015-2019 broadcasting rights to Seven for some $200 million.

The revelation comes just days before the finals in Australia’s premier tennis tournament, which will be televised to a massive international audience.

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission is investigating Tennis Australia’s decision to sell the 2015-2019 broadcasting rights to long-time partner Seven in 2013 without launching a competitive bidding process.

The deal is estimated to have cost Tennis Australia up to $50 million in lost revenue.

But Seven’s commercial director Bruce McWilliam told Fairfax, “A disaffected former board director has made the allegation notwithstanding they voted for the deal. The deal was a fantastic deal unanimously approved by the Board.”

Tennis Australia last year ordered an independent review into whether a serving board member in 2013 had an undisclosed material conflict of interest during the negotiations.

An ASIC spokesman said the agency does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations.

5 Responses

    1. I meant to write a longer post, damn phone!

      The relevant sporting bodies want main channel coverage, there’s only three of those to go around. The only way things would change is if for example, Seven decided to ditch the tennis and make a play for one of the cricket contracts. Only problem is they’d risk ending up with nothing.

      There were rumours about Nine targeting BBL but I think Cricket Australia are quite happy to have different broadcasters – it’s more like NFL or Premier League in that there are multiple broadcasters for the same sport. It creates a point of difference, even when it’s the same game!

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