Tennis Icons and Celebrities Take to the Court for DIRECTV’s Old School Challenge Presented by ESPN
August 22 2011 - 2:06PM
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 , 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.
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