Sky Sports Extends US Open UK Coverage Through 2030

Sky Sports is poised to secure a three-year extension to its exclusive broadcasting agreement for the US Open, a move that would keep live coverage of the New York Grand Slam on Sky's UK and Ireland platforms through 2030. The reported agreement represents a significant long-term commitment to tennis at a time when broadcasters are competing aggressively for premium sporting rights.

According to The Guardian, the new three-year deal is expected to be announced around the US Open draw and would extend Sky's current agreement beyond its existing term. The broadcaster's renewed commitment comes after a period in which tennis has become an increasingly important part of its sports portfolio.

A return to tennis that has paid dividends

Sky's current relationship with the US Open began with the 2023 tournament, when the broadcaster returned to the event after a five-year period in which Amazon held the UK rights. The USTA announced at the time that Sky would be the exclusive live television and digital home of the US Open in the UK and Ireland through 2027, with a minimum of 135 hours of competition during the two weeks of main-draw action.

The original agreement covered the full range of US Open competitions, including men's and women's singles and doubles, mixed doubles, junior and wheelchair events. Sky had previously carried the tournament for many years before leaving tennis broadcasting in 2017.

The official US Open announcement described the 2023 agreement as a five-year partnership and highlighted Sky's historic relationship with the tournament, including Andy Murray's 2012 US Open triumph.

Emma Raducanu helped reignite Sky's interest

One of the factors behind Sky's decision to return to the US Open market was the surge of British interest generated by Emma Raducanu's extraordinary 2021 title run. Raducanu became the first qualifier in tennis history to win a Grand Slam singles title when she captured the US Open without dropping a set.

Her breakthrough helped demonstrate the potential of the US Open as a television property for British audiences. However, Raducanu's subsequent injury problems mean she has not been the central figure in Sky's coverage that her 2021 breakthrough might initially have suggested. She is set to miss the 2026 tournament after suffering a stress fracture in her shin, according to reporting cited by The Guardian.

Tennis offers Sky an attractive audience

Beyond the prestige of the US Open itself, tennis has become strategically valuable to Sky because of the composition of its audience. The Guardian reported that women accounted for around 60% of Sky's tennis viewership in 2025, compared with approximately 31% across Sky's overall sports coverage.

That demographic profile gives the broadcaster an opportunity to reach audiences and advertisers that may be less strongly represented in some of its traditionally dominant sports. Tennis therefore offers Sky more than another collection of live sporting events: it can also contribute to the broadcaster's wider strategy of diversifying its audience and commercial appeal.

Building a year-round tennis proposition

The US Open extension fits into a broader expansion of Sky's tennis operation. In 2024, Sky launched Sky Sports Tennis, its first dedicated tennis channel in the UK and Ireland. The service was designed to provide tennis coverage throughout the year rather than concentrating the broadcaster's offering around the four Grand Slam tournaments.

At launch, Sky said the channel would carry more than 4,000 live matches from more than 80 ATP and WTA tournaments each year, alongside full US Open coverage. Multiple court feeds are also available through Sky's digital platforms, allowing subscribers to follow matches beyond the principal televised court.

The Sky Group announcement said the dedicated channel would make tennis available throughout the day, while multiple live streams could be accessed through Sky's apps, red-button services and NOW.

The 2026 US Open arrives with expanded coverage

The 2026 US Open runs from 23 August to 13 September, with the main singles draws beginning on 30 August. The tournament's official broadcaster list confirms that Sky Sports remains the UK and Ireland partner for this year's event.

The official US Open international broadcast information lists Sky Sports as the tournament's broadcaster in the UK and Ireland and says the 2026 event will feature extensive coverage across the singles, doubles, junior and wheelchair competitions, as well as the mixed-doubles championships.

Sky's own 2026 tournament guide says the US Open will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports+ and the broadcaster's digital platforms from 30 August to 13 September. The company's coverage is designed to provide substantially more than the traditional single-match television window.

Sky Sports' 2026 US Open guide provides the latest tournament schedule, viewing information and details of the broadcaster's coverage.

Competition for Grand Slam rights remains intense

The reported extension also illustrates the increasingly divided nature of tennis broadcasting in the UK. Rather than one broadcaster holding all four Grand Slam tournaments, the major events are spread across different platforms.

Sky has the US Open, while Wimbledon remains with the BBC. TNT Sports holds rights to the Australian Open and Roland-Garros. That fragmentation means fans seeking to follow the entire Grand Slam calendar may need access to multiple services.

At the same time, Sky's wider ATP and WTA agreements give it a substantial presence outside the Grand Slams. The ATP confirmed in 2023 that Sky had agreed five-year partnerships covering more than 80 tournaments and 4,000 matches across the two tours, including exclusive UK and Ireland rights.

The ATP's announcement said the partnerships were intended to provide year-round tennis on Sky Sports and NOW, with coverage extending across the ATP and WTA calendars. The current tour agreements run to 2028, and Sky is reportedly in discussions about extending them as well.

What the extension means for viewers

For UK and Irish tennis fans, the reported extension would provide continuity through the end of the decade. It would also give Sky greater scope to build its tennis coverage around the US Open rather than treating the tournament as a standalone two-week broadcasting property.

More than 12 hours of live tennis a day is expected to be available under the extended arrangement, with coverage spread across Sky's linear channels and streaming products. The inclusion of the new mixed-doubles competition further broadens the range of US Open action available to viewers.

The agreement would also strengthen Sky's ability to develop a consistent editorial identity around tennis, supported by dedicated programming, analysis, highlights and multi-court viewing options.

A strategic win for Sky

The reported extension is significant because it combines three assets that are increasingly important to sports broadcasters: a prestigious global event, a growing digital audience and a strong demographic profile.

Sky's return to the US Open was initially part of a broader effort to rebuild its tennis presence after the broadcaster's departure from the sport. The subsequent launch of Sky Sports Tennis and the acquisition of extensive ATP and WTA rights have transformed tennis into a year-round proposition.

Retaining the US Open through 2030 would give Sky a stable anchor for that strategy. It would also ensure that the broadcaster remains a major force in UK tennis broadcasting at a time when competition between Sky, TNT Sports, the BBC and streaming platforms is reshaping how fans consume live sport.

The deal is therefore about more than simply keeping the US Open on Sky. It signals the broadcaster's confidence that tennis can continue to attract valuable audiences, particularly women, while giving subscribers extensive live content across television, streaming and digital services.

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