Tennis Icons and Celebrities Take to the Court for DIRECTV's Old School Challenge Presented by ESPN
Event to Feature Celebrities and Tennis Legends Ivan Lendl, John
McEnroe, Pete Sampras, the Jensen and Bryan Brothers; Cee Lo Green
Concert to Follow
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
DIRECTV, exclusive provider of the interactive US Open Experience, will
invite tennis fans to Manhattan's Lexington Avenue Armory for DIRECTV's
Old School Challenge presented by ESPN on Aug. 25. The private event
precedes the 2011 US Open and highlights old school tennis legends Ivan
Lendl and the Jensen brothers as they battle it out against new school
stars Pete Sampras and current No. 1 doubles team, the Bryan brothers.
Tennis great John McEnroe will keep the crowds entertained by providing
color commentary for the matches. Tennis Channel's Brett Haber and
Mayleen Ramsey will serve as play-by-play commentator and sideline
reporter, respectively. The event concludes with a performance from
singer-songwriter Cee Lo Green. DIRECTV's Old School Challenge presented
by ESPN will be broadcast on DIRECTV's Audience Network, the Tennis
Channel and DIRECTV's Regional Sports Networks.
DIRECTV will transform the Lexington Avenue Armory, in the heart of
Manhattan, into a regulation US Open tennis court complete with
stadium-seating, where two "old school" vs. "new school" battles will
ensue. First, the Jensen brothers, using today's modern tennis rackets,
will face off against the Bryan brothers, who will fight back using old
school wooden rackets. Next, Lendl and Sampras will return to the court
to duke it out in a singles match, again switching up equipment; Lendl
will be using a modern racket while Sampras will play with a wooden
racket.
"If you're a tennis fan, you know that DIRECTV is the only place to find
the most comprehensive TV coverage of all four Grand Slam Tennis events,
allowing you to watch every single match of the tournament," said Jon
Gieselman, senior vice president of Marketing for DIRECTV. "And to
celebrate our sixth year of delivering interactive TV coverage of the US
Open, DIRECTV and ESPN are bringing together an amazing lineup of tennis
greats and stars giving fans a chance to watch the best of the past and
the present battle it out on the court in a truly unique format."
DIRECTV's US Open Experience, produced by ESPN, is a free, interactive
service that offers expanded coverage of outer court and early round
matches from Flushing Meadows. Customers enjoy more than 435 hours of
live tennis action, up to 140 extra matches that cannot be seen anywhere
else, with five extra court channels in addition to the main ESPN2 feed
— all displayed on DIRECTV's innovative six-on-one-screen Mix Channel,
and presented in HD. The Mix Channel and bonus coverage will run from
Aug. 29 through Sept. 5 on channels 701-708. More DIRECTV US Open
programming information is available by visiting www.DIRECTV.com/usopen.
ESPN's multi-platform and worldwide coverage of the US Open will include
100 hours in high definition on ESPN2 HD, 420 hours on ESPN3.com's
multi-court offering plus coverage across ESPN's platforms in the U.S.
and around the world. During the first week of the tournament, ESPN2's
coverage will start at 1 p.m. each weekday and will continue nonstop for
at least 10 hours through both the day and evening sessions. The latter, Primetime
at the US Open presented by IBM, will begin at 7 p.m. and continue
until 11 p.m. or when play is concluded, whichever is later. The second
week, ESPN2 will have Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM
at 7 p.m. on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 5, followed by day-long windows
Tuesday — Thursday starting at 11 a.m.
About DIRECTV:
DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) is one of the world's leading providers of digital
television entertainment services delivering a premium video experience
through state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming and industry
leading customer service to more than 30 million customers in the U.S.
and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its 19.4 million
customers access to more than 170 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1
theater-quality sound, access to exclusive sports programming such as
NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, Emmy- award winning technology and higher customer
satisfaction than the leading cable companies for ten years running.
DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies
in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin
American countries, leads the pay-TV category in technology, programming
and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to
more than 10.6 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment
properties include three Regional Sports Networks (Northwest, Rocky
Mountain and Pittsburgh) as well as a 60 percent interest in Game Show
Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit www.directv.com.
ABOUT ESPN:
ESPN, Inc. is the world's leading multinational, multimedia sports
entertainment company featuring a portfolio of more than 50 multimedia
sports assets. The company is comprised of seven 24-hour domestic
television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN
Deportes and ESPN 3D). ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS HD are simulcast
services. Other businesses include ESPN Regional Television, ESPN
International (46 networks, syndication, radio, websites), ESPN Radio,
ESPN.com <http://ESPN.com>,
ESPN3.com <http://ESPN3.com>
(broadband sports network) ESPN Mobile, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN
Enterprises, ESPN PPV and other growing new businesses, including ESPN
on Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN is 80
percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt
Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in
ESPN.
DIRECTV
Cara Brugnoli, 212-205-0887
CMBrugnoli@DIRECTV.com
or
Leader
Enterprises
Mike Whitmark, 562-546-6008
mwhitmark@leaderenterprises.com
Source: DIRECTV
News Provided by Acquire Media
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