ESPN and the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) announced an agreement for ESPN2 to broadcast eight, one-hour event recap shows on ESPN2, and ESPN+ to stream more than 200 hours of live coverage of eight of the APP Tour’s 2023 events, expanding coverage of one of the country’s fastest-growing sports.
“As pickleball continues to grow in popularity across the country rapidly, we are looking forward to serving fans with coverage of the APP Tour across our ESPN platforms,” said Tim Bunnell, Senior Vice President, Programming, ESPN. “We are excited to be part of this sport’s upward trajectory.”
“This is a historic announcement for pickleball,” commented Tom Webb, APP Chief Marketing Officer. “We are delighted to team up with ESPN to showcase the talents and stories of the best players in the world, and enable millions of pickleball players nationwide to tune in to our tournaments.”
By contrast, ESPN only broadcast three tennis tournaments on its air, albeit Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
All eight tournaments will stream on ESPN+, highlighted by:
- The 2023 APP Daytona Beach Open (Feb. 9 – 12), held at one of pickleball’s most remarkable venues – Pictona at Holly Hill – featuring 49 courts and a 1,500-seat stadium for championship play.
- The 2023 APP New York City Open (May 24 – 28), taking place at the world-famous Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows. Pickleball’s crown jewel, staged in one of the most famous sports venues worldwide, where more than 1,200 players will compete in New York’s biggest pickleball event.
- The 2023 APP season finale (Nov. 30 – Dec. 3) in Houston, the culmination of the 2023 APP Tour season where the champions of men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles will be crowned.
The remaining tournaments streaming live on ESPN+ are Newport Beach, Calif. (June 29 – July 2), Philadelphia (Aug. 24 – 27), Chicago (Aug. 31 – Sept. 3), and Dallas (Oct. 5 – 8).
ESPN+ coverage of the 2023 APP season will kick off with the Daytona Beach Open in February and a recap will air on Sunday, February 12, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Full details of the 2023 schedule are available at APPTour.org. Intersport will produce coverage of the APP Tour in association with ESPN.
About the APP
Founded in 2019, the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) serves professionals, senior professionals and amateurs in the fastest growing sport in the USA. The first and only tour officially sanctioned by USA Pickleball, the 2023 APP Tour slate has already announced 16 tournament stops, in addition to International and Collegiate Series events. The APP also prides itself on developing the next generation of champions through its Next Gen Series and other youth initiatives.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 24.3 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).
