WBD grabs French Open rights from NBCU

Warner Bros. Discovery has signed a deal to pay $650 million over the next decade to grab the U.S. broadcast rights to the French Open.

The current deal with NBCUniversal expired Sunday, June 9, 2024, after the most recent event was played.

WBD currently carries the French Open across 50 European countries via Eurosport and its international Discovery brand.

Reports indicate WBD will carry the event on TNT, TBS and truTV and stream it via Max.

The move could be a preview of what WBD’s sports strategy looks like in a world where it loses its NBA rights. The league is reportedly preparing to award $76 billion in rights deals to Disney, NBCU and Amazon, with WBD notably not included, though other reports indicate there still may be a smaller piece of the game pie for WBD.

This new French Open deal notably sees WBD taking rights from NBCU, who is reportedly slated to acquire a good chunk of the rights WBD previously held. 

Either way, it appear unlikely that the NBA will be the fixture it currently is on WBD-owned networks.

The French Open is officially known as Roland-Garros but is often referred to by its colloquial name.

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