The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) is serving up TV Everywhere content from the Tennis Channel on its authenticated WatchTVEverywhere (WTVE) platform.
NCTC members that offer the Tennis Channel through the NCTC’s master agreement will be able to offer the network’s live stream, including the 2013 U.S. Open that starts today, on the WTVE platform to their subscribers. Financial terms of the agreement weren’t released.
Through a collaborative effort, NCTC, WTVE and Tennis Channel worked to provision the service in two weeks between starting the integration with WTVE and the first volley in the U.S. Open today. The U.S. Open coverage will incudes live action of the matches.
“We’re excited to make Tennis Channel’s U.S. Open coverage mobile for NCTC subscribers as part of the WTVE initiative,” said Patrick Wilson, senior vice president, distribution, Tennis Channel. “They’re among the first viewers to have on-the-go access to 85 percent of an entire sport’s televised coverage on one network, which in our case includes every one of the top 100 pro tennis tournaments and all four majors. We also appreciate how quickly NCTC worked with us to break new TVE ground for Tennis Channel and our viewers so soon after our initial conversations, and in time for one of the greatest events in all of sports.”
Earlier this summer, NCTC announced that more than 100 of its members were using its WTVE. The service gives smaller cable operators across the nation a TV Everywhere service of their own to compete against telco and satellite providers in their respective footprints. (NCTC president and CEO Rich Fickle recently spoke to CED about the importance of TV Everywhere services.) MCTV, formerly Massillon Cable, worked with CableLabs to develop a TV Everywhere service, which was subsequently adopted by the NCTC and branded WTVE.
“Members continue to support NCTC’s WTVE platform and the addition of content from Tennis Channel, including the upcoming U.S. Open, will add value to those subscribers that have embraced TVE content,” said Judy Meyka, NCTC’s executive vice president of programming. “We also anticipate that Tennis Channel will bring additional viewers to the WTVE platform.”
Live streaming of the Tennis Channel will continue on WTVE following the U.S. Open coverage.
