Palo Alto, CA, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Universal Tennis announced the launch of the UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT) on Prime Video with the live broadcasting of events from the Americas. Available at no additional cost to Prime members, additional PTT regions will be offered on Prime Video in the near future.
Universal Tennis and Amazon entered a media rights deal and investment in 2022, with the two companies working together to drive positive, innovative changes to the sport.
“We are thrilled to be live on Amazon’s Prime Video as we continue to make a significant impact on the pro tennis landscape and provide valuable opportunities for aspiring pros,” said Mark Leschly, Universal Tennis Chairman and CEO. “Broadcasting the PTT on Prime Video will engage an even larger global audience and elevate our tour to new heights.”
The PTT has hosted over 20,000 professional matches in 24 countries worldwide since launching in 2021. Every PTT event has at least $25K in financial commitment with higher guaranteed payouts for players than $25K ITF events. The first half of the 2023 calendar will bring the total PTT prize money to $9 million and events to over 460.
Universal Tennis continues to deliver this new pathway to aspiring pro players in the 200-2,000 ranking range by providing the most effective opportunity to improve their game and move up to the ATP/WTA and Grand Slam levels. Viewers can catch a rising star on Prime Video, with players like Ben Shelton (UTR Rating 15.03), Jenson Brooksby (UTR 15.49), Katie Volynets (UTR 11.79), Liv Hovde (UTR 11.46), and Learner Tien (UTR 13.65) all appearing on the PTT and competing on Grand Slam stages.
The PTT format is unlike any other, with every event offering its competitors 3-6 guaranteed matches and guaranteed prize money. In 2021, Marcela Zacarias won nine PTT events, earning $33K in prize money and springboarding her return to the WTA Top 200 in 2022.
The PTT is the only professional tennis tour live-streaming 100% of its matches. In December, the PTT provided 49% of total global tennis singles content. Universal Tennis is committed to showcasing pro tennis to a larger audience.
Amazon is one of Universal Tennis’ investors alongside Larry Ellison, Roger Federer’s TEAM8, Novak Djokovic, Endeavor/IMG, Tennis Channel, and Tennis Australia.
About Universal Tennis
The mission of Universal Tennis is to connect and grow the sports of tennis and pickleball with innovative events and a global digital marketplace centered around level-based play. The Universal Tennis Engagement Platform is anchored by the UTR Rating, the world’s most accurate singles and doubles tennis rating system. Universal Tennis provides the tools and solutions to make the UTR Rating relevant and valuable to players, coaches, and organizers in their local tennis communities. Universal Tennis is creating opportunities and pathways for players from all over the world, in all stages of life, to find better matches and unlock a more fun and flexible tennis experience. Go to UniversalTennis.com to sign up, activate your player profile, and join the global tennis community. Watch our video and connect on social @UniversalTennis to learn more.
Starting in early 2023, Universal Tennis will offer one home for tennis and pickleball, beginning a new chapter by bringing a pickleball rating and technology solutions to another racquet sport. Universal Tennis will enable its customers to use its pickleball rating and event management software to create accessible, competitive level-based events.
About the UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT)
The UTR Pro Tennis Tour officially began on January 1, 2021, with a three-year commitment of over $20M to support tennis globally with prize money, venue support, technology, logistics, and competitive play opportunities. Universal Tennis is the owner and organizing body of the UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT), with responsibility for its Rules and Regulations, Code of Conduct, Tournament Format and related streaming and commercial rights. The UTR Pro Tennis Tour was started to create a development tour. With fewer events and substantially reduced prize money, aspiring professional players were increasingly struggling in the pursuit of their dreams. Working with host venues and national Federations, Universal Tennis provides additive and complementary opportunities to help emerging players and the broader tennis community.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
About Prime Video Sports
Prime Video supports a growing lineup of live sports globally, including Thursday Night Football, the WNBA, the Seattle Storm, the New York Yankees, and Overtime Elite in the United States; ONE Championship in the United States and Canada; Premier League in the United Kingdom; US Open Tennis, ATP, and WTA in the United Kingdom and Ireland; UEFA Champions League football in Germany and Italy; Roland-Garros and Ligue 1 in France; Australian Swimming globally; New Zealand Cricket in India; and NBA in Brazil. While availability varies by marketplace, fans can also subscribe to streaming services such as Eurosport, FOX Sports (Mexico), LaLigaTV, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, NBA TV, and Premiere FC (Brazil) through Prime Video Channels. This is in addition to a selection of Amazon Original All or Nothing sports docuseries including All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, All or Nothing: Juventus, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, and All or Nothing seasons with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, and Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the NCAA’s Michigan Wolverines football team.
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