US Open 2023
on Sky Sports
How to watch the 2023 US Open on Sky Sports
and how much it will cost
and how much it will cost
Over the next few months the way we watch tennis in the UK is going to change. Sky Sports take over the broadcast rights to the US Open in around a month’s time, and Prime Video’s coverage of both the ATP Tour and WTA Tour will come to an end as the 2023 season concludes in November.
Here’s what we know so far about Sky Sports’ coverage.
The US Open begins on bank holiday Monday 28 August, and Sky Sports will start their broadcast at 3pm UK time on Sky Sports Arena, a channel that usually broadcasts rugby, netball, NFL and NBA.
Over the course of the grand slam fortnight, it’s expected that at least one linear channel will have live coverage from New York every evening and into the early hours.
Some coverage may be made available on Sky Sports Mix and Sky Showcase which are available with a basic Sky subscription, as Sky often promote their premium content to all customers, however it is not expected for the tournament to have any free-to-air coverage.
All courts will be available via streaming on Sky Stream, Sky Glass and Sky Q. Satellite subscribers will be able to access all courts via the Sky Sports app. Crucially, there has been no confirmation of all-court coverage on Now TV however it is expected to be available in the same way that bonus streams are available for football and Formula 1 coverage on certain devices.
All matches including the doubles, mixed doubles, junior and wheelchair competitions will be shown by Sky Sports as part of the deal which runs to 2027. Sky Sports will be showing the qualifying competition, which starts on Tuesday 22 August.
Who are the presenters, analysts and commentators?
Coverage will be presented by Gigi Salmon, known for her work on the BBC primarily as a radio presenter and commentator, she fronted the BBC’s Eastbourne coverage this year.
Salmon will be joined by current Sky Sports presenter Emma Paton, Jonathan Overend who is the BBC’s former tennis correspondent and a commentator for over 20 years, and Karthi Gnanasegaram who has worked as a sports reporter and presenter for Prime Video and the BBC.
Former and current players involved in Sky Sports’ US Open coverage include Martina Navratilova, Tim Henman, Johanna Konta, Feliciano Lopez, Marion Bartoli, Jordanne Whiley, Laura Robson and Jamie Murray.
Sky Sports are planning to show around 35 classic US Open matches, to be broadcast around their live coverage, including Andy Murray’s first grand slam title in 2012. A promotional campaign is expected to begin in early August.
Meanwhile, Prime Video’s coverage of the ATP Tour and WTA Tour continues until the end of the season, and an announcement of broadcast rights for 2024 onwards has yet to be made for both. Sky Sports are reported to be the most likely destination, given their bid for the US Open.
How much will it cost to watch tennis on Sky Sports?
There are a number of options when it comes to getting Sky Sports, but for most it does mean an additional subscription for at least one month on top of current costs for tennis.
There are a few things to consider when looking at subscriptions. such as whether to bundle with broadband, what equipment you have or need to add, whether HD coverage is important, how likely you are to and whether you want to commit to a long-term contract.
Remember that rights for the next year’s ATP and WTA Tours are not yet confirmed, and US Open all-court coverage on Now TV is not guaranteed.
Sky Sports can be added to an existing subscription with Sky, Virgin Media, BT TV and other platforms. If you already have one of these then check with your provider for costs and details.
If you don’t have subscription television already, Sky Stream is the product currently offered by Sky on an 18-month contract or rolling monthly contract basis, meaning you can start and stop or upgrade and downgrade a subscription each month as you wish.
Sky Stream with Sky Sports starts from £43 per month for an 18-month contract, and £53 per month for a rolling monthly contract. You’ll get a Sky Stream box to connect to your television.
Alternatively, Sky’s Now TV is available as an app on many devices, and a monthly Sky Sports pass is £34.99. It’s worth noting this is in 720p resolution and 25fps frame rate. Full 1080p HD and 50fps (not available on bonus streams) costs an additional £6.99 per month for Now TV Boost, which also adds Dolby Digital 5.1 and simultaneous use across up to 3 devices.
When you try to cancel a Now TV subscription, the website will almost always offer a deal to keep your custom, so it’s worth giving this a go each month. Last time I did this, I was offered an £8 per month discount for 6 months, and it has been more generous in the past.
Discovery+, which broadcasts the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, is included in a Sky Stream subscription, but not a Now TV subscription. Discovery+ costs £6.99 per month.
I’ve done the maths, and Now TV is the cheapest option, including the Boost for HD. It’s also the least risky given the caveats around all-court coverage and next year’s rights that I’ve mentioned above.
If you take a Sky Stream subscription ahead of the US Open it would lock you in until roughly the middle of February 2025. In order to make a fair comparison, these calculations are based on the same period, and assume you’ll only subscribe for the 14 months when Sky Sports are showing tennis.
Sky Stream with Sky Sports on a rolling contract would cost £742 for the same period of time, remembering to switch it off after the US Open and back on again for the 2024 season.
Now TV’s Sky Sports subscription would be £489.86 for the same period, or £587.72 with Boost. On top of this, you would also need three months’ Discovery+ for two Australian Opens and one Roland-Garros, so the total for the same period is £510.83, or £608.69 with Boost.