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Former Nine boss Hugh Marks is advising Tennis Australia on its international broadcast deals.Credit:James Brickwood

Industry sources familiar with Tennis Australia’s plans,who spoke anonymously because the work has not been completed,said the strategy will play a key role in determining revenue for the organisation in the medium term.

Mr Marks was chief executive of Nine when it signed a $300 million deal with Tennis Australia for the Australian Open and other minor tournaments from 2020 to 2024. It occurred as Seven West Media and News Corp’s pay-TV platform Foxtellanded a $1.2 billion deal for six years of cricket.

Nine signeda separate deal for the 2019 Australian Open for $48.5 million. The agreements marked the end to a 40-year relationship between TA and Seven West Media.

Nine runs a television network,radio network and publishesThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age.It also has digital real-estate assets and owns streaming service Stan.

In Mr Marks’ final months as CEO,he and then Stan boss Mike Sneesby secured the broadcast rights to Wimbledon and the French Open,which now run on Stan.Mr Marks left the company earlier this year after revealing he was in a relationship with a former colleague,Alexi Baker. Ms Baker is now chief customer and digital officer at the NRL.

Tennis Australia’s 2015 rights negotiations gave it the ability to control video and audio feeds for key tournaments.

Tennis Australia currently distributes a feed to local and international broadcasters – an arrangement designed to boost the Australian Open’s international audience and revenue.

The organisation makes about $60 million a year from its domestic rights deal with Nine,but a lot of revenue is generated from international rights holders such as broadcasters from China,Japan and the US.

The sources said Tennis Australia is looking at ways to understand its audiences in those markets and use that data to negotiate better sponsorship and broadcast deals.

Currently,the website for the Australian Open is not personalised on a country by country basis. One of the considerations is personalising the experience in markets outside of Australia with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews it already captures in its feed.

Tennis Australia was put under financial pressure earlier this year,because of the cost of running the Australian Open in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Victoria’s five-day lockdown in the middle of the Australian Open this year cost organisers more than $20 million in revenue.

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley said in February that the Australian Open was expected to record a loss of about $100 million,because of payment for coronavirus-related protocols,including the “hard quarantine” players were forced into upon arrival in Australia.

The sources said the future media strategy is focused on global trends and the pressure broadcasters face,rather than the complications that have occurred because of the pandemic. Part of the work has been assessing the best parties to sell broadcast rights to - a streaming service like Amazon Prime Video or traditional sports players like ESPN or Euro Sport.

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