January 12, 2012

TSN Secures 10-Year AUSTRALIAN OPEN Extension

– More than 130 hours of Aussie Open coverage kicks off TSN’s
season of Grand Slam tennis –
– Early Round Coverage begins Sunday, Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. ET on TSN2 –
– 21-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic chases his first Grand Slam title –

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/wBFVUU

Toronto, ON (January 12, 2012) – TSN confirmed today the network has secured a multi-year rights extension that will see TSN broadcast the AUSTRALIAN OPEN through to 2021.

The new deal ensures TSN continues to be the home of all of tennis’ marquee Grand Slam events including the FRENCH OPEN, WIMBLEDON and U.S. OPEN.

2012 AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Live from Melbourne, TSN and TSN2 deliver more than 130 hours of live coverage of the 2012 AUSTRALIAN OPEN – from the first round all the way through to the finals – beginning Sunday, Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. ET on TSN2 (see broadcast schedule below).

Coverage will feature Canada’s Milos Raonic, coming off a thrilling win at the Chennai Open to make his second AUSTRALIAN OPEN appearance as the tournament’s No. 25 seed.

TSN.ca will have live streaming of bonus court coverage as well as select matches available on-demand. Tournament coverage will also be available live on TSN Mobile TV.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic enters the tournament as the top seed while 2009 champion Rafael Nadal is seeded No. 2. The star-studded men’s field also includes four-time AUSTRALIAN OPEN winner Roger Federer and Andy Murray – who has lost the past two finals at the AUSTRALIAN OPEN – seeded No. 3 and No. 4 respectively.

On the women’s side, top-seeded player Caroline Wozniacki continues her quest to win her first Grand Slam title. Wozniacki’s competition includes WIMBLEDON champion and No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova, followed by Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova. Defending champion Kim Clijsters and five-time AUSTRALIAN OPEN winner Serena Williams are expected to play in the tournament despite sustaining injuries during last week’s Brisbane International.

TSN and TSN2’s broadcast schedule for the 2012 AUSTRALIAN OPEN is as follows*:
Sunday, Jan. 15
• 6:30 p.m. ET - Early Round Coverage: Day #1 (TSN2)

Monday, Jan. 16
• 3 a.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #1 (TSN2; encore at 1 p.m. ET on TSN)
• 9 p.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #2 (TSN)

Tuesday, Jan. 17
• 3 a.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #2 (TSN2; encore at 12 noon ET on TSN)
• 9 p.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #3 (TSN)

Wednesday, Jan. 18
• 3 a.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #3 (TSN2; encore at 12 noon ET on TSN)
• 11 p.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #4 (TSN)

Thursday, Jan. 19
• 3 a.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #4 (TSN2; encore at 12 noon ET on TSN)
• 11 p.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #5 (TSN)

Friday, Jan. 20
• 3 a.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #5 (TSN2; encore at 12 noon ET on TSN2)
• 10 p.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #6 (TSN)

Saturday, Jan. 21
• 3 a.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #6 (TSN2)
• 10 a.m. ET – Early Round Coverage: Day #6 (TSN)
• 9 p.m. ET – Round of 16 (TSN)

Sunday, Jan. 22
• 3 a.m. ET – Round of 16 (TSN2)
• 9 p.m. ET – Round of 16 (TSN)

Monday, Jan. 23
• 3:30 a.m. ET – Round of 16 (TSN2; encore at 1:30 p.m. ET on TSN)
• 10 p.m. ET – Men’s and Women’s Quarter-Finals (TSN2)

Tuesday, Jan. 24
• 3:30 a.m. ET – Men’s and Women’s Quarter-Finals (TSN; encore at 1:30 p.m. ET on TSN)
• 9 p.m. ET – Men’s and Women’s Quarter-Finals (TSN2)

Wednesday, Jan. 25
• 3:30 a.m. ET – Men’s and Women’s Quarter-Finals (TSN; encore at 1:30 p.m. ET on TSN)
• 10 p.m. ET – Women’s Semifinals (TSN)

Thursday, Jan. 26
• 3:30 a.m. ET – Men’s Semifinal #1 (TSN; encore at 1:30 p.m. ET on TSN)

Friday, Jan. 27
• 3:30 a.m. ET – Men’s Semifinal #2 (TSN; encore at 1:30 p.m. ET on TSN)

Saturday, Jan. 28
• 3 a.m. ET – Women’s Final (TSN; encore at 3:30 p.m. ET on TSN)

Sunday, Jan. 29
• 3:00 a.m. ET – Men’s Final (TSN; encore at 2:30 p.m. ET on TSN)

ESPN Classic Canada
ESPN Classic Canada serves up a marathon of memories from the AUSTRALIAN OPEN this weekend beginning with the 1992 Men’s Final that saw Jim Courier defeat Stefan Edberg in three sets on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. ET. ESPN Classic Canada will broadcast the following classic AUSTRALIAN OPEN matches:

Saturday, Jan. 14
• 2 p.m. ET – 1992 Men’s Final: Jim Courier vs. Stefan Edberg
• 4 p.m. ET – 1997 Men’s Final: Pete Sampras vs. Carlos Moya
• 6 p.m. ET– 2000 Men’s Semifinal: Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras
• 8 p.m. ET – 2005 Men’s Quarter-final: Lleyton Hewitt vs. David Nalbandian

Sunday, Jan. 15
• 12 noon ET – 2010 Women’s Final: Serena Williams vs. Justine Henin
• 2 p.m. ET – 2011 Women’s Round of 16: Francesca Schiavone vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova
• 4 p.m. ET – 2011 Women’s Final: Kim Clijsters vs. Li Na
• 6 p.m. ET– 2011 Men’s Final: Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Twitter
ESPN Classic Canada: @ClassicGuys, www.Twitter.com/ClassicGuys
Hashtag: #AusOpen

Facebook
TSN: www.Facebook.com/TSN
ESPN Classic: www.Facebook.com/ESPNClassicCanada

*Schedule subject to change

TSN is Canada's Sports Leader and Canada’s most-watched specialty network. Delivering more sports coverage in High Definition than any other network in Canada, TSN's comprehensive broadcast schedule features an exciting lineup of sports including NHL, CFL, NFL, NBA, MLS, the IIHF World Junior Championship, Season of Champions Curling, Golf’s Majors, F1, NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, Grand Slam Tennis, EURO 2012 and 2016, the Tour de France, NCAA March Madness tournament and Championship Boxing events. TSN properties include TSN2, TSN MOBILE and the industry-leading sports website TSN.ca. Official broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games, TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company.

- TSN -

For More Information:
Greg McIsaac, (w) 416.384.5180, (c) 416.458.3591, greg.mcisaac@bellmedia.ca
Chobi Liang, (w) 416.384.7584, (c) 416.859.4738, chobi.liang@bellmedia.ca
Renee Rouse, (w) 416.384.7599, (c) 416.428.4807, renee.rouse@bellmedia.ca

Twitter:
@TSN_PR

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