WBD readies for 2026 Australian Open
January 12, 2026
The first Grand Slam tennis of 2026 will commence with Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) exclusive coverage of the Australian Open for viewers in Europe.
Every match will stream on WBD’s enhanced streaming platform HBO Max across Europe for the first time as discovery+ continues its streaming coverage in the UK. Tennis fans can step into the sunshine with streaming coverage of ‘The Happy Slam’ with every point live and key moment timelines enabling users to catch-up with periods of play during matches.
Broadcasting 274 live hours on Eurosport in Europe for a 32nd consecutive year, the tournament comes to TNT Sports for the first time in the UK and Ireland alongside free daily highlights coverage on Quest. Live free-to-air coverage will also reach even more fans in Germany with a range of matches on Eurosport 1 in addition to selected matches featuring local heroes, and the singles finals, being shown live in Denmark (6’eren), Finland (TV5), Sweden (Kanal 9), and Norway (Rex).
The presenter line-up includes John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, Tim Henman, Laura Robson, Barbara Schett and Anne Keothavong, with CoCo Vandeweghe joining for the women’s singles semi-finals and finals. Laura Robson will lead TNT Sports’ daily shows and Rachel Stringer will present Eurosport’s pan-European coverage. The Courtside show will begin 30-minutes ahead of the first night session each day from 08:30 CET, ahead of the second night session, and a 30-minute show will follow the conclusion of play. From the quarter-final stage, each singles match will also receive a pre and post-match show.
Additionally, local tennis stars who will broadcast from live studio shows in key territories to connect fans with national favourites and local storylines. These names include Alex Corretja, Marc Lopez and Carla Suarez-Navarro on Pasando Bolas for Eurosport Spain; Justine Henin, Camille Pin, Nicolas Escude and Arnaud Clement on Eurosport Tennis Club for Eurosport France; Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner for Matchball Becker on Eurosport Germany; as well as Eurosport Poland hosting an AO Studio show.
Scott Young, EVP at WBD Sports Europe, commented: “The Australian Open is one of the early hallmark events in our incredible year of sport on our channels and platforms. Our unique proposition will deliver every match to viewers live, leading into the return of the Olympic Winter Games to Europe with our coverage of every event from Milano Cortina 2026 next month. From the sunny grounds of Melbourne Park to the snowy peaks of the Dolomites, we will get to the heart of every story from the widest variety of events this year, giving our viewers access to the most immersive and entertaining live sport offer anywhere. And with HBO Max coming to new markets including Italy and Germany ahead of the Australian Open, and with the UK to follow later this year, we are excited to launch the new streaming home of our viewers’ favourite sports as part of the greatest sport and entertainment content library.”
NEW DOCUMENTARY CONTENT LAUNCHES
Extending the storytelling beyond the court, WBD will premiere a new feature-length documentary dedicated to one of the greatest matches of all time. The 2012 Australian Open men’s singles final saw two titans of tennis clash in a battle of epic proportions as the top seeds – Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – made history by completing the longest ever Grand Slam final, lasting five hours and 53 minutes. The 60-minute documentary titled The Match That Changed Tennis will air on Eurosport, TNT Sports, HBO Max and discovery+ on January 15th at 12:00 CET.
In addition, on-demand viewing of Ambition: Next Gen Now – an AO Originals film profiling the new breed of young tennis prodigies shaking up the sport – is available to stream for HBO Max and discovery+ subscribers along with an AO 2026 preview produced by Tennis Australia.
THE NUMBER ONE DIGITAL TENNIS DESTINATION
A complete digital tennis ecosystem will be provided by WBD, offering viewers an immersive experience across web, app and social. Eurosport and TNT Sports’ websites and YouTube channels will serve up free daily highlights in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch in addition to longer eight-minute highlights being available to premium subscribers. Fans can also watch a series of ‘top fives’ each day on social media platforms in addition to discovering bonus content, player interviews and behind-the-scenes clips throughout the tournament captured by Eurosport and TNT Sports’ team of on-site reporters who will showcase the colour of the Australian Open to the world.
The main draw of the 115th Australian Open runs from January 18th to February 1st with qualifiers taking place live on HBO Max and discovery+ from January 12th during Opening Week. On January 14th as a pre-cursor to the main tournament, event organiser Tennis Australia has introduced a new Million Dollar 1 Point Slam which pits a total pool of 48 amateur players and celebrities against some of the world’s best. This line-up includes men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz and home favourite Nick Kyrgios in a unique quest to win A$1 million, with digital coverage available on WBD’s premium platforms across Europe in addition to television coverage on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland.