ATP Media, the media arm of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour, has signed a long-term partnership with Gravity Media.
The deal will see the UK-based provider of live creative production and media services deliver the global coverage of over 60 of the ATP Tour’s world-renowned tennis tournaments.
The tournaments include the ATP Masters 1000s, ATP 500s, ATP 250s and the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.
The pair claim that the collaboration will see ‘a new approach to the production of tennis worldwide.’
As part of this new approach, ATP Media has worked closely with Gravity Media on the specification of the galleries and working areas for ATP Media Studios, which will be based at Gravity Media’s brand-new production centre in White City, London, which opened earlier this year.
The 50,000 square foot ATP Media Studios is part of the newly commissioned Gravity Media facility housed in The Westworks precinct, and features production, post-production and live studio capabilities.
At each ATP Masters 1000 tournament, ATP Media will increase the number of both on-court and off-court cameras, and will access specialist, robotic and on-court camera technologies designed and developed by Gravity Media’s specialist camera team to ‘enhance the overall viewer experience.’
Further technology upgrades will also be rolled out as part of this new partnership with ATP Media and Gravity Media committed to further enhancing television production values.
ATP Media and Gravity Media claim the new production solutions are designed to promote a greener and environmentally sustainable approach to coverage of the ATP Tour.
John Newton, Chief Executive Officer of Gravity Media, said, “It is an extremely proud moment for me and the wider team, as we announce our long term production partnership, delivering ATP Media’s global broadcast and creative technology innovation solutions – building on an already long-standing relationship.
“Ensuring we will deliver the most advanced remote broadcast solutions across the ATP Media assets as well as from our brand-new media hub, Production Centre London means we are poised to lead the way in the future of tennis broadcasts.
“This contract will ensure the most environmentally sustainable approaches are embraced, whilst ensuring we can provide more roles to the broadcast industry welcoming and encouraging a new generation of talent to come on board with both Gravity Media and ATP Media.”
Mark Webster, Chief Executive Officer of ATP Media, added, “Gravity Media has been an important strategic partner for ATP Media over an extended period of time and so when Gravity Media stepped up to the plate with its bid under our very detailed and transparent tender process, we were naturally delighted.
“ATP Media has been acutely aware that, to ensure it continues to be at the forefront of live and non-live sports content production, it needs to continually re-invest in its production capabilities. With the unfortunate covid-19 pandemic, such re-investment naturally had to be put on hold, but the tender process addressed that and this innovative and wide ranging deal with Gravity Media, an organisation ATP Media has implicitly trusted for many years, will now turbo-charge our production and take ATP Tour tennis to the next level for its fans.”
