CVC Capital Partners planning to follow Formula One and rugby union funding with bumper £440m investment to merge the men’s and women’s tennis tours
- CVC Capital Partners see the opportunity to merge the men’s and women’s tours
- The investment group are lining up a bid of £440million to shake up the sport
- They have previously put money into Formula One and Premiership Rugby
- The four Grand Slams are unlikely to benefit from any investment though
The latest venture of private equity investors in sport is likely to involve a joint project with the men’s and women’s tennis tours.
CVC Capital Partners, who have had tie-ups with Formula One and rugby union’s Premiership, are seeking to beef up media rights across the ATP and WTA circuits with the idea of combining their assets for mutual benefit.
According to Sky, an investment of around £440million could be made to better exploit the two tours’ potential, a concept that has been around for years.
CVC Capital Partners are considering investing £440million in the men’s and women’s tours
But the four Grand Slams are unlikely to be part of the agreement as they are separate entities
But the four Grand Slams, including Wimbledon, are unlikely to be part of it as they operate separately to the regular tournaments which make up the calendar.
A likely sticking point is expected to be how the proceeds from rights would be divided between the men and women, with the former having considerably more economic clout.
However, there has been recognition from both circuits that a certain amount of merging could increase the tours’ revenue, so it is possible that the ongoing talks will bear fruit.