The competition was originally created during the first lockdown
BT Sport has agreed to broadcast the UK Pro League tennis competition.
The tournament was originally created by River Media in response the first lockdown and the lack of competitive opportunities resulting from it. The round robin league, which features British players competing against each other in a season-long competition, has now been endorsed by the LTA and looks set to stick around.
Starting from 1 March, there will be a series of eight week-long tournaments to see who will reach the November final – with a £500,000 prize pot.
BT Sport will show the Pro League on its linear channels as well as digitally. The coverage includes all nine weeks of action, with 42 matches broadcast each week as well as behind the scenes content introducing British tennis talent to a UK audience.
UK Pro League Schedule 2021
Week 1 – 1-7 March
Week 2 – 15-21 March
Week 3 – 5-11 April
Week 4 – 19-25 April
Week 5 – 12-18 July
Week 6 – 23-29 August
Week 7 – 4-10 October
Week 8 – 18-24 October
Week 9 – 1-6 November (Final Week)
Rights director at BT Sport, Rachel Knight, said: “We want to provide our customers with the best sport from the UK and throughout the world. The UK Pro League on BT Sport will provide a great opportunity for viewers to get to know the British tennis players, with a format that engages viewers and keeps both team and competitive spirits alive.”
River Media director, Dominic Hayes, added: “This is a new British championship that will see the top British players play each other regularly across the year. It creates a compelling year-long narrative as players battle to qualify for the end of season Finals. More competitive match play and a healthy prize fund means that the UK Pro League will enable players to enhance their performance on the world stage and it is fantastic to have BT Sport’s support for this.”