Sky Secures Exclusive US Open Rights Until 2030
Sky will remain the home of the US Open for UK and Irish viewers for the rest of the decade, after sealing a three-year extension that locks in exclusive rights until the end of 2030.
The new deal with the United States Tennis Association (USTA), negotiated through media rights partner IMG, keeps every angle of Flushing Meadows under the Sky Sports and NOW umbrella. Every men’s and women’s singles match, every doubles and mixed doubles tie, juniors, wheelchair events – all of it stays behind Sky’s familiar blue branding for the full three weeks in New York.
This is not just a case of holding onto a marquee event. It’s a statement that the US Open, with its late-night chaos and New York swagger, remains central to Sky’s sporting identity.
Wall-to-wall New York
For fans, the offer is straightforward: if it happens at the US Open, Sky has it. Live coverage sits at the heart of the package, backed by a digital armory that has grown more sophisticated year on year.
Clips and highlights will continue to roll out across Sky’s digital and social platforms, allowing viewers to catch up on key moments without committing to full sessions. This year’s coverage has leaned hard into technology: augmented reality graphics, deeper data integrations, touchscreen breakdowns and regular behind-the-scenes features have all been used to drag the viewer right into the noise and neon of Queens.
Fronting it all is Gigi Salmon, anchoring the coverage with a familiar team of analysts. Tim Henman and Laura Robson lead the expert insight, while Jonathan Overend provides match commentary, backed by a rotating cast of co-commentators and pundits through the season.
A deal struck in the middle of the madness
The timing of the announcement is no accident. The current edition of the US Open has already delivered the kind of theatre broadcasters crave.
Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion and perennial headline act, crashed out in the first round in a stunning early exit that jolted the men’s draw. Then came a slice of history in the small hours: Ben Shelton outlasting Carlos Alcaraz in the latest finish the tournament has ever seen, the American finally closing it out at 3.33am local time.
On the women’s side, the script has lined up a heavyweight final. World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka against World No 2 Elena Rybakina on Saturday – a clean, compelling showdown between the sport’s current power brokers.
This is the kind of fortnight that underlines why broadcasters fight to keep these rights.
Sky and USTA double down
From Sky’s side, the message is clear. Jonathan Licht, Chief Executive Officer of Sky Sports UK & Ireland, framed the US Open as one of the “highlights of the sporting calendar”, praising its cast of star names and the “spectacular New York backdrop”. For Sky, the renewal is about more than just a tournament; it is about reinforcing its reputation for innovation and “world-class coverage” while tightening its grip on premium sport in the UK and Ireland.
The USTA is just as keen to keep the relationship rolling. Kirsten Corio, the governing body’s Chief Commercial Officer, described Sky as a “trusted” long-term partner and pointed directly at the broadcaster’s appetite for “innovative and cutting-edge coverage”. In USTA’s eyes, that kind of presentation is not window dressing – it is a driver of tennis’ rapid growth and a way of deepening fans’ connection with the game in a key market.
Part of a wider tennis and sport empire
The US Open sits inside an already heavy tennis schedule on Sky. Live tennis runs all year, with full ATP and WTA Tour coverage available on Sky Sports, NOW and the Sky Sports app. Across this season alone, Sky expects to show more than 4,000 matches from 80 tournaments.
That tennis output feeds into a rights portfolio that is close to saturation point for top-tier sport in the UK and Ireland. Many of Sky’s flagship properties are already secured well into the 2030s.
On the domestic football front, Sky holds rights to around 1,500 games across the Premier League, WSL, EFL and SPFL. In motorsport, every Formula 1 race weekend remains exclusively live on Sky until the end of 2034. Cricket fans get home men’s and women’s international England fixtures, while golf followers can watch every shot from the Majors.
Around that spine, Sky layers year-round darts, high-profile boxing from promoters Zuffa and MVP, and extensive coverage of the NFL, Netball Super League and rugby league.
The US Open extension doesn’t just keep late-night New York tennis on British and Irish screens. It tightens Sky’s grip on a sporting calendar it already dominates – and raises the bar again for how one of the game’s great Grand Slams will be seen for the rest of the decade.
