Warner Bros. Discovery secures US Open host rights for HBO Max

Securing host broadcaster status allows Warner Bros. Discovery to control the full production stack, moving beyond simple distribution to own the technical delivery of the tournament. By prioritizing interactive features like Multiview on HBO Max, the company is testing whether advanced UX can drive higher engagement and retention compared to traditional linear feeds. This move intensifies the competition for premium sports rights in Europe, where platforms are increasingly using exclusive athletic events to anchor their broader entertainment bundles. Watch for Q3 2026 engagement metrics to see if these interactive tools successfully attract the younger demographic WBD is targeting.

Warner Bros. Discovery has built a comprehensive global tennis portfolio anchored by Eurosport's long-standing relationships with Grand Slam events. The company extended its Roland-Garros agreement with the French Tennis Federation through at least 2030, covering all European territories except France, with every court available to stream live on HBO Max from 2026 onward. That deal, signed by FFT President Gilles Moretton and WBD Sports Europe President Andrew Georgiou, extends WBD's relationship with the French Tennis Federation to over 40 years. The US Open host broadcaster role for 2026 builds directly on this infrastructure, giving WBD production control across 45 European markets rather than just distribution access. The business case for WBD's tennis strategy rests on securing multi-platform exclusivity at scale. TNT Sports signed a 10-year agreement with the French Tennis Federation worth approximately $65 million per year to become the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of Roland-Garros beginning in 2025, displacing NBC and the Tennis Channel. That deal made WBD the largest global broadcast partner to Roland-Garros, combining Eurosport's 55-country European footprint with U.S. coverage across TNT, TBS, truTV, and Max. WBD separately extended its US Open rights in 45 European markets through a five-year agreement with the USTA, including exclusive access in 42 territories, with every match on every court available on discovery+ and the Eurosport App. The company screens more than 720 hours of live tennis per year across all platforms, a volume no other sports broadcaster matches. On the competitive and strategic front, WBD's tennis investments form part of a broader live sports accumulation strategy. Variety reported that the French Open acquisition was seen as validation of WBD's post-merger thesis that combining Discovery's Eurosport assets with Warner's U.S. sports portfolio would enable global rights alliances. The US Open host broadcaster role in 2026 tests whether that global scale translates into differentiated streaming experiences. Simultaneous live sports streams like Multiview and AI-curated Key Moments represent WBD's attempt to justify rights fees through superior presentation rather than exclusivity alone, particularly important as the company seeks to grow HBO Max's ad-supported tier across European markets where tennis viewership has grown consistently over the past decade.