THE PPA TOUR TAPS FOX SPORTS AS PREMIER TELEVISION PARTNER, CONSISTENTLY ELEVATING PICKLEBALL TO NEW HEIGHTS
| July 11, 2023
Media Contact:
Hannah Johns
PPA Head of Content
hannah@ppatour.com
Anne Pennington
anne.pennington@fox.com
The Professional Pickleball Association welcomes FOX Sports as the pickleball industry’s largest television partner through the 2022 PPA Tour Season
SALT LAKE CITY, UT (July 12th, 2021) – The PPA Tour has announced FOX Sports as its newest television partner to consistently bring the professional tour of pickleball to mainstream television. As a leader in professional sports, FOX Sports’ reach will elevate pickleball to a grander stage and broader audience. FOX Sports will televise a minimum of twelve PPA events beginning this October and continuing through the end of the 2022 PPA Tour Season across FS1, FS2, the FOX Sports App and FOXSports.com
FOX Sports’ telecasts will center around Championship Sundays, which feature the sport’s most prestigious championship matches from Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s Singles, and Women’s Singles. Matches played before Sunday will be streamed live via an array of alternate broadcast partners, the PPA’s social media, and the PPA’s YouTube channel.
“The PPA Tour’s new agreement with FOX Sports is a huge step forward for us and continues to show the widespread appeal and entertainment value of pickleball,” said Connor Pardoe, the commissioner of the PPA. “We’re honored to work with FOX Sports to add professionalism to our sport, promote the global availability of the Pro Tour, and increase exposure for the professional athletes in the sport.”
With millions awarded in player payout annually and thousands of players competing in tournaments each year, the PPA Tour is working to establish pickleball as a familiar and exciting spectator sport for the masses.
“We’re thrilled to team up with the PPA Tour and bring pickleball to a whole new host of viewers,” said Bill Wanger, EVP, Head of Programming & Scheduling, FOX Sports. “This unique and exciting property will be a great addition to our expansive programming roster.”
The competition of PPA tournaments is unmatched as the best players in the sport battle for the largest payouts and highest stakes in the sport. The current FOX Sports television schedule includes many of the PPA’s largest tournaments – all of which will be held at world-renowned venues and host pickleball’s top pros from all over the world.
The PPA also plans to launch professional sports betting this fall, which will stimulate even more growth within the sport.
Fox Sports 2022 Broadcast Schedule
- PPA Champions Cup, in Orlando, FL, on January 16, 2022, at 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (ET)
- Desert Ridge Open, in Phoenix, AZ, on January 30, 2022, at 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET)
- Arizona Grand Slam, in Phoenix, AZ, on February 20, 2022, at 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET)
- Austin Open, in Austin, TX, on March 27, 2022, at 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (ET)
- Red Rock Open, in St. George, UT, on April 10, 2022, at 11:00 am – 3:00 pm (ET)
- North Carolina Open, in Cary, NC, on May 8, 2022, at 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (ET)
- Orange County Cup, in San Clemente, CA, on June 12, 2022, at 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET)
- PPA Open, in Cincinnati, OH, on September 11, 2022, at 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (ET)
- Texas Open, in Dallas, TX, on October 9, 2022, at 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (ET)
- PPA Masters, in La Quinta, CA, on December 11, 2022, at 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET)
ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION
The Professional Pickleball Association is the professional tour for the sport of pickleball, organizing events and rankings for the top male and female pickleball players in the world and awarding over $2 million in annual prize money. With more than 20 events in 2022 at world-class facilities like the Linder Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati and the Aviva Center in Toronto, the PPA Tour is the premier provider of professional and amateur events. The PPA Tour’s broadcast partners include FOX Sports, Tennis Channel, CBS Sports, and ESPN+. Founded in 2018 and based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the PPA Tour provides an unparalleled experience for all, inviting players to compete and “play where the pros play,” as well as offering unrivaled venues, food/beverages, live DJ entertainment, VIP experiences, giveaways and games, pro player meet-and-greets, shopping, vendors, and more.
ABOUT FOX SPORTS
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture business Big Ten Network, a licensing and commercial relationship with The Stars Group that created the FOX Bet sports betting platform and the FOX Bet Super 6 free-to-play game, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.
