It has been an anxious summer in Burbank, Bristol and the rest of the Disney-ESPN empire thanks to ongoing cutbacks, movie box office disappointments and strategic uncertainties. Disney stock recently sank to a nine-year low. Help is on the way, though, as the U.S. Open Tennis Championships kick off Monday and college football and the NFL also deliver their annual fall injections of must-see live events.
In a surprising announcement Wednesday evening, the U.S. Golf Association said it has signed a 12-year multimedia deal with Fox network and Fox Sports 1 to be the domestic broadcast partner for the U.S. Open and other USGA championships.
ESPN Takes U.S. Open Tennis From CBS
The Disney-owned sports cable network has signed an 11-year contract to exclusively show all rounds of the U.S. Open tennis tournament beginning in 2015, after the current contract with CBS expires. The tournament finals and weekend play have been carried by CBS since 1968.
