APP Cuts Broadcast Deals With CBS Sports, ESPN for Pball Coverage
January 24, 2023
CHICAGO, Ill. (January 23, 2023) – The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) has announced historic deals with CBS Sports and ESPN to deliver hundreds of hours of APP Tour pickleball programming throughout 2023, including 12 hours of live matches and highlight-driven programs on CBS Sports Network, eight hours of event recap telecasts on ESPN2 and more than 200 hours of live streaming coverage on ESPN+ and APP TV.
“We are delighted to welcome CBS Sports and ESPN to the APP and are excited to be working with two of the most significant names in sports media to bring the sport of pickleball to fans across the country,” commented Tom Webb, APP Chief Marketing Officer. “Over 36.5 million Americans played pickleball in 2022 and this media package enables those fans to tune in to our world-class tournaments, and introduces the sport and its best players to millions more. The APP exists to expand the sport of pickleball domestically and internationally and this media exposure is an important step in that mission.”
The APP’s fourth season, the 2023 APP Tour, kicked off in Punta Gorda, Florida, with a sold-out event and over 720 professional and amateur pickleball players from across the USA and around the world. The 2023 APP Tour continues with the APP Daytona Beach Open, taking place at Pictona at Holly Hill in Florida from February 8 – 12. Full details of the 2023 schedule are available at APPTour.org.
Coverage of the APP Daytona Beach Open will air at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN2 Sunday, Feb. 12, featuring a one-hour special showcasing gold medal match highlights from Championship Sunday. CBS Sports Network will also air a one-hour special following the APP San Diego Open, on Monday, March 20, at 9:00 am ET.