Exclusive-Tennis-ATP and WTA join hands to launch joint mobile app
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[April 20, 2022]
By Sudipto Ganguly
(Reuters) - Tennis fans will be able to follow both the men's and
the women's game on a single mobile app from Wednesday, the latest
move in a series of collaborations between the ATP and the WTA tours
aimed at uniting the fragmented sport.
The new 'ATP WTA Live' app will replace the ATP and WTA's existing
apps and allow fans to keep up with official scores and results from
both men's and women's matches.
That the sport still has work to do to reduce cracks in governance
was evident as subscribers to the app will still not have access to
scores from the Grand Slams -- the four biggest tournaments in the
game.
The marketing departments of the ATP and WTA were aligned at the
start of 2021 though the tours still have different ranking systems,
logos and websites, while viewers need different pay-TV platforms to
watch matches.
"We really want to think of it as one family," Dan Ginger, senior
vice-president of brand and marketing, ATP and WTA, told Reuters.
"There's a brother and a sister to the family, so they're going to
have their own little personality traits which we want to celebrate
but actually make sure they kind of feel as part of the same DNA.
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"If we can reduce our fragmentation and think collectively about a
broader strategic vision for the sport and carve out that clear
positioning in the marketplace. That's really where I see tennis
winning."
Tennis enjoys a massive worldwide following, but is governed by
seven different organisations - ATP, WTA, the four Grand Slams and
the International Tennis Federation.
The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the 2020 calendar and prompted calls
for a merger of the various bodies, a suggestion that was well
received by the WTA and ATP.
'Tennis United' -- a digital series created during the suspension of
the WTA and ATP Tours due to the pandemic in 2020 -- was the first
sign of collaboration between the two bodies.
The WTA also rebranded its website and changed its tournament naming
system at the end of 2020 to better align with the ATP in another
sign of the cooperation.
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Tennis - Champions Tennis - The Royal Albert Hall, London, Britain -
November 27, 2021 General view of a tennis ball REUTERS/Tony Obrien
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"We spent the last 12 months focusing on just building the
foundations," Ginger said in an interview.
"We've developed this unified brand strategy, which helps to look at
how we're really positioning tennis in sports and entertainment
landscape.
"Why are people going to choose to watch tennis over football, over
NFL, over their favourite Netflix series? We wanted to ensure that
tennis had a purpose and make sure that it aligned with the values
of the tennis fan."
Beyond scores, statistics and real-time updates, subscribers to the
new app will also have access to behind-the-scenes content from
across the ATP and WTA tours.
Ginger said that the game's unique selling point was its ability to
present elite male and female athletes on the same stage.
"We've spent a lot of time ... focusing on how we can unify the
experience for fans across both tours," he said.
"This is just another step in that journey. Ultimately, tennis is
one sport with the same fans. So, having a singular product just
makes complete sense."
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Christian
Radnedge)
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