Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of cable’s Tennis Channel, has added Tennis magazine and Tennis.com to its portfolio, the company announced Wednesday.
Sinclair gets the magazine and website as part of its acquisition of the assets of Tennis Media Company for $8 million cash, plus an additional $6 million earn-out potential based on contingencies, the company said. The deal enables Sinclair to operate three established, multi-platform brands dedicated to the sport.
"The acquisition of Tennis Media Company brings together tennis' television, print and online platforms, with significant advantages in the tennis rights and stakeholder world," said Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley. "We are committed to enhancing Tennis Channel’s role as the undisputed tennis-media hub, and this combination of the sport's foremost outlets, along with the Tennis Channel Plus subscription service, will lead to efficiencies that maximize all four platforms."
Tennis.com garners 25 million monthly page views and 2 million unique monthly visitors, according to Sinclair. The site also houses its Baseline daily newsletter. Tennis Channel is currently expanding its digital activity to complement on-air programming and become more integrated with websites of other Sinclair stations and properties throughout the country, and Tennis.com will play a major part in that integration process, the company said.
Tennis Channel president Ken Solomon says the acquisition gives advertisers one-stop-shopping in print, TV and online.
There are already synergies between the properties given that Tennis channel on-air commentators Tracy Austin, Paul Annacone and Jon Wertheim are also contributing or instructional editors for Tennis magazine, Sinclair points out.
