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LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2019 -Tennis Channel’s 2019 BNP Paribas Open coverage in Indian Wells, Calif., will get underway with a new one-set tournament led by tennis star Rafael Nadal. The Eisenhower Cup, “Rafa and Friends” event will air live at 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 5, the first of 27 consecutive days dedicated to the sport’s annual “Fifth Slam” tournaments – the BNP Paribas Open in Southern California and Miami Open in South Florida. From March 5-31, the channel will offer daylong match blocks, all-night encores, more than 240 hours of live coverage and more than 540 total during a monthlong celebration of two of the biggest, most prestigious events in the sport.
Nadal will headline his roughly two-hour tournament on the eve of the BNP Paribas Open’s main draw. The inaugural “Rafa and Friends” Eisenhower Cup will be contested using a rapid, Tie Break Tens format, with each competition a single tie break won by the player who scores 10 points first. Players will compete in two round-robin groups followed by a final match, giving fans in the stadium and Tennis Channel viewers nationwide seven head-to-head battles between some of the best in the game today. Stars Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Milos Raonic are slated to play, with others to be announced. Currently second on the all-time list of men’s major singles championships, Nadal has won three BNP Paribas Open singles title (2007, 2009 and 2013) and two doubles crowns (2010 and 2012).
Tennis Channel will show qualifying matches throughout the day leading up to the Eisenhower Cup on March 5, before coverage of the BNP Paribas Open main draw gets underway Wednesday, March 6 at 1 p.m. ET. The network’s typical daily telecast begins with one-hour lead-in show Tennis Channel Live from the BNP Paribas Open, followed by 11-to-12 hours of live match coverage (complete schedule below). As play concludes in the hours after midnight ET, encores of the day’s play immediately begin and take viewers through the late night and next morning, right up to the start of the next day’s 1 p.m. ET lead-in show.
The network’s live coverage at the BNP Paribas Open begins with qualifying matches at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 5, and runs through the men’s and women’s doubles finals on Saturday, March 16, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Tennis Channel will also air encores of the women’s singles final and men’s singles final on Sunday, March 17, at 9 p.m. ET. In all, the network will dedicate more than 130 live hours to the 2019 BNP Paribas Open from March 5-17, and more than 260 hours total.
The one-hour Tennis Channel Live at the BNP Paribas Open takes place on an upper-level set inside Stadium 1, the competition’s main court. A large window behind the studio desk allows viewers to see out onto the tournament grounds and lets fans on site to look up and follow network on-air talent and guests who appear throughout the day. The team introduces each day’s match lineup with news, storylines, analysis, expert opinion and detailed conversation.
Miami Open coverage begins on the first day of play, Tuesday, March 19, at 12 p.m. ET, and runs through the end of the tournament Sunday, March 31. This year marks a new venue for the 34-year-old South Florida event: Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. As with the BNP Paribas Open, most days feature approximately 12 hours of live matches, usually beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Rather than a one-hour lead-in show, Tennis Chanel will close most days with a half-hour wrap-up edition of Tennis Channel Live before all-night and morning encores fill the air until the start of live matches the next morning.
More than 110 hours of live coverage, spread across all 13 days of the Miami Open, are planned for Tennis Channel in 2019. With encores the network will offer close to 280 hours overall during the roughly two weeks it essentially becomes a 24-hour tournament channel.
Tennis Channel’s Live BNP Paribas Open Coverage Schedule (Men’s/Women’s Singles Unless Otherwise Specified)
Date Time (ET) Event Tuesday, March 5 2 p.m.-1 a.m. Qualifying Round 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m. “Rafa and Friends” Eisenhower Cup Wednesday, March 6 1 p.m.-midnight First Round Thursday, March 7 1 p.m.-2 a.m. First Round Friday, March 8 1 p.m.-2 a.m. First Round, Second Round Saturday, March 9 1 p.m.-2 a.m. Second Round Sunday, March 10 1 p.m.-2 a.m. Second Round, Third Round Monday, March 11 1 p.m.-2 a.m. Third Round Tuesday, March 12 1 p.m.-2 a.m. Third Round, Round of 16 Wednesday, March 13 1 p.m.-2 a.m. Round of 16, Quarterfinals Thursday, March 14 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Singles and Doubles Quarterfinals 8 p.m.-midnight Quarterfinals Friday, March 15 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Quarterfinal 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Doubles Semifinal, Quarterfinal 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Women’s Semifinal Saturday, March 16 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Doubles Finals
Sunday, March 17, at 9 p.m. ET, Tennis Channel will show encores of the women’s singles final followed by the men’s singles final.
Tennis Channel’s Live Miami Open Coverage Schedule (Men’s/Women’s Singles Unless Otherwise Specified)
Date Time (ET) Event Tuesday, March 19 12 p.m.-6:30 p.m. First Round Wednesday, March 20 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. First Round Thursday, March 21 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. First Round, Second Round Friday, March 22 11 a.m.-midnight Second Round Saturday, March 23 11 a.m.-midnight Second Round, Third Round Sunday, March 24 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Third Round Monday, March 25 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Third Round, Round of 16 Tuesday, March 26 12 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Round of 16, Quarterfinals Wednesday, March 27 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Doubles Quarterfinals 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Quarterfinals Thursday, March 28 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m., 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Doubles Semifinals Friday, March 29 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m., 9 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Women’s Semifinals Saturday, March 30 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. Men’s Doubles Final Sunday, March 31 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. Women’s Doubles Final
Encores of the women’s singles final will begin airing on Tennis Channel at 5 p.m. ET Saturday, March 30. Men’s singles final encores will first appear at 5 p.m. ET Saturday, March 31.
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