ESPN, home to all four of tennis' majors, has extended its relationships with the two tourneys that lay claim to the sport's "Fifth Slam" sobriquet.
The worldwide leader has inked a long-term deal with the ATP World Tour for continuing coverage of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. and the Sony Open in Miami, including the men's and women's finals for the first time. The hard-court tournaments are generally considered to be the most important tourneys on tour, outside of the Grand Slam quartet of the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
The agreement, financial terms of which were not disclosed, also covers the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals that will play out in London's 02 Arena through 2015. The extension means ESPN will air more than 44 hours annually from the Indian Wells, Miami and London events.
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