The Africa Channel will tap the TED Talks catalog of video interviews to create a new series set to debut on the network in June.

The TED Talks on TAC will feature fresh perspectives on storytelling, culture, conversation and identity from authors, celebrities, sports icons and artists with unique points of view, according to network officials. The first set of topics and speakers will include such icons as television producer Shonda Rhimes, tennis star Serena Williams and TV personality Gayle King, the network said.

The collaboration between TAC and the nonprofit TED company will also look to establish an annual TED X Live Event, supported by key sponsorships from brands and advertisers. In addition, the companies seek to create additional TED Talk events that speak to the global Black experience, the network said. 

“We are proud to partner with TED Talks, to amplify and celebrate voices from the Global Black and African Diaspora and to bring to our viewers topics that are both relevant and entertaining from thought leaders, entertainers, authors, activists and other world-renowned personalities,” The Africa Channel senior VP of business development Dean Cates said in a statement.

ESPN will develop a new series based on the life and career of legendary tennis star Serena Williams, the network announced Tuesday at its upfront presentation.

The multi-part In The Arena: Serena Williams series will chronicle Williams’ on the court success, winning 23 Grand Slams titles over a more than two decade span, as well as her personal challenges and achievements. Williams appeared at the New York presentation to make the announcement. 

Following on the success of the network’s Man In the Arena: Tom Brady, The series will track Serena’s personal and generational journey from phenom to icon, re-examining decisive matches, formative moments, heartbreak and glory along the way, said network officials. 

In The Arena: Serena Williams will be co-produced by ESPN, Religion of Sports, Tom Brady’s 199 Productions, and Williams and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions. 

ESPN also announced it will bring The Pat McAfee Show daily sports talk show to the network as part of a new multi-year agreement.

McAfee, who currently serves as a college football analyst on ESPN’s College GameDay, will bring his show – currently streaming on YouTube – live weekdays to ESPN, the ESPN YouTube Channel, the ESPN App and ESPNPlus beginning this fall, according to the network. 

“Pat is a proven talent … he and his team have built the Pat McAfee Show into one of the most engaging programs in sports and all of media,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement prior to the upfront. “ It’s a destination for athlete interviews and breaking news, and the centerpiece of a growing community of sports fans. We’re honored to bring Pat and the show to ESPN through a multifaceted, multiplatform approach.” 

Serena Williams' likely final U.S. Open appearance was watched by a record audience for an ESPN tennis match, the sports service reported Tuesday.

More than 4.6 million viewers tuned in to ESPN on September 2 to watch Williams, who last month announced the U.S. Open would most likely be her final tennis competition, lose her match against Ajla Tomljanovich in a three-set thriller. The mark is the most ever for a tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history, beating the previous record of 3.9 million viewers for ESPN's 2012 coverage of the Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

The match peaked with 6.9 million viewers in the 10:15 p.m. quarter hour, according to the network. Overall, Williams' three televised U.S. Open matches helped ESPN average 1.1 million viewers across its first five days of U.S. Open telecasts, a 101% increase compared to 2021 and the most-viewed, first five days of the U.S. Open on record for the ESPN Networks, according to the company. 

ESPN will continue with coverage of the U.S. Open throughout the week, with the finals of the men's and women's championships airing this weekend. ■  

The first full weekend of the college football season highlights a busy Labor Day weekend of live sports programming on linear TV channels and streaming services.

Several of college football’s Top 10 teams will be in action Saturday, beginning with No. 1 Alabama, who will open the season against Utah State on the SEC Network. Second-ranked Ohio State travels to No. 5 Notre Dame in a primetime ABC-televised game, while No. 3 Georgia battles 11th-ranked Oregon, also on ABC. 

Other games on Saturday include No. 6 Texas A&M-Sam Houston (SEC Network), No. 7 Utah-Florida (ESPN), No. 8 Michigan-Colorado State (ABC), No. 9 Oklahoma-UTEP (Fox) and No. 10 Baylor-Albany (ESPN Plus).

Also: Heavyweights Take Over Fall PPV Boxing Schedule 

On Monday, fourth-ranked Clemson meets Georgia Tech on ESPN. 

On the tennis court, ESPN and ESPN2 will offer continuing coverage of the U.S. Open Grand Slam tennis tournament from New York. The biggest story of the early rounds has been the success of tennis legend Serena Williams, who announced last month  that the US Open will serve as her last major tennis tournament competition. If Williams wins her third U.S. Open match on Friday night against Ajla Tomljanovic, she would compete Sunday in the fourth round of the women’s singles division. 

The WNBA playoffs continue with game three coverage of the semifinal series between Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun (ESPN2) as well as the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm (ABC). 

Major League Baseball moves into the final full month of its regular season with Sunday coverage on Peacock featuring the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Sunday Night Baseball coverage on ESPN showcasing the San Diego Padres-Los Angeles Dodgers game. 

NBC on Sunday will offer IndyCar coverage from the Grand Prix of Portland, while USA Network will air live the NASCAR Cup Cook Out Southern 500 race and ESPN televises the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix event. 

In the ring, Fox Sports on Sunday will distribute a pay-per-view boxing card featuring a main event fight between heavyweights Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz. ■

Comcast said Wednesday that the MasterClass app, which offers instructive videos on topics ranging from gymnastics fundamentals to developing an original TV series, is now available across its Xfinity entertainment platforms, including Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex.

According to Comcast, the launch marks the first time the MasterClass app will be offered through a TV provider’s set top box.  

MasterClass's more than 150 instructors and classes span a wide variety of fields, including Arts & Entertainment, Culinary, Business, Design & Style, Sports & Gaming, Writing and more. Each class on MasterClass features about 20 video lessons, at an average of 10 minutes per lesson—all taught by elite instructors like Serena Williams (Tennis), Malala (Creating Change), Simone Biles (Gymnastics Fundamentals), Roy Choi (Intuitive Cooking), Mashama Bailey (Southern Cooking), Richard Branson (Disruptive Entrepreneurship) and Neil deGrasse Tyson (Scientific Thinking and Communication).

Also: Charter, Comcast Set Joint Venture To Create New Streaming Platform

"With today’s launch, customers can now enjoy all of MasterClass's programming right alongside the movies and TV shows they love," Comcast senior VP strategic development Michael DelCiello said in a press release. "Whether customers want to enhance their learning, explore or develop a new passion, MasterClass's robust content library is a great addition to the expanding catalog of programming already available on our platforms."

New and existing MasterClass customers can access the service on X1 and Flex by saying "MasterClass" into their voice remote. Existing customers will be prompted to sign in, while new customers can start the membership sign up process right from the app. ■

Tennis great Serena Williams has been lined up as the keynote presenter for the Black Tech Week conference July 18-22 in Cincinnati. Williams runs her own venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, which focuses on backing minority and women-owned businesses and other underrepresented groups.

Launched in 2016, the conference brings together tech influencers and minority innovators to support successful tech businesses being built by Black entrepreneurs.

Among the strategic sessions on tap are “Getting Acquired by a Tech Giant,” “Removing Bias from Fundraising” and “Mergers and Acquisitions.”

One knock on Big Tech is that its workforce has been insufficiently diverse. Another is that their algorithms can facilitate discrimination against minorities.

One way to address that is for minorities to begin to better control their own tech destinies.

Other speakers include Revolt Media CEO Detavio Samuels and Mike Apted from Amazon’s start-up team. ▪️

Whoa. Serena Williams is entering the Matrix in a new commercial for DirecTV Stream that will be making its debut this week.

Williams, the tennis star, was previously seen transformed into Wonder Woman in a spot introducing DirecTV Stream  and how it combines the best of live TV and on demand entertainment. Those ads started running in August after WonderWoman ‘84 had joined the lineup for HBO Max, available via DirecTV Stream.

The new spot will be running across TV and digital media and comes about a month before HBO Max makes Matrix Resurrections available to its premium subscribers at the same time it appears in theaters.

In the spot, two viewers are watching DirecTV Stream, switching between Williams in a tennis match and scenes from The Matrix. Suddenly, Williams is transported into the Matrix, with its familiar green symbols in the background.

After the fans in the stand turn into sunglasses-wearing agents, Williams is offered a choice between taking a red ball or a blue ball. .When her opponent splits into a half dozen challengers, she beckons them to bring it on with the same hand gesture Keanu Reeves used in the original Matrix movie After a series of volleys that move in bullet-time, Serena wins the point with a shot that burns up the net.

“She is the one,” exclaims one of the DirecTV stream viewers.

Also: Maybe 'King Richard' Did 'Whiff' After All -- Only 707K Households Watched It on HBO Max Last Weekend

Once upon a time, using The Matrix in a DirecTV commercial would have been a good example of corporate synergy. But earlier this year AT&T spun off DirecTV and the phone company is in the process of selling HBO parent WarnerMedia to Discovery.

The commercial was created by the ad agency TBWA/Chiat Day.■

Amazon Studios signed tennis champion Serena Williams to a first look TV deal.

Williams will work with Amazon to create scripted and unscripted projects that will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. The first will be an untitled docuseries following Williams on and off the court. 

“Serena has transformed her sport and become one of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs and women of her generation, admired not only for her unmatched prowess on the court but for her dedication to advocacy as well,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “We’re incredibly excited to share her journey in this new series, and to work with her to create new original content for our Prime Video customers worldwide.”

Also Read: Amazon Inks Multimedia Deal With Jessica Simpson

The Williams docuseries is a Plum Pictures, Goalhanger Films and Amazon Studios production. It is executive produced by Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou, Stuart Cabb, and Tony Pastor.

“I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience. I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world,” said Williams.

When Serena Williams stepped out on the tennis court for the U.S. Open women’s final in September, she was seeking to complete one of sport’s most improbable returns to championship form.

She would ultimately lose to Naomi Osaka of Japan — and stir up controversy and headlines with a tirade against several controversial calls by chair umpire Carlos Ramos — but her defeat was arguably a win in itself for the 37-year-old-star. Less than a year before her Open appearance, Williams nearly died after giving birth to her first child.

Williams’s remarkable 2018 run both on the court and in her personal life played out on TV in an arguably unprecedented fashion. Her U.S. Open finals match against Osaka drew 3.1 million viewers on ESPN, up more than 30% from the 2017 women’s final telecast. It was the network’s third-most-watched U.S. Open telecast since ESPN began broadcasting the tournament in 2009 (it had shared rights with CBS through 2014).

“There’s no question about Serena’s ability to consistently drive tennis ratings like few other professional tennis players,” said Steve Badeau, senior vice president of research, Tennis Channel. “She competed in the most-watched match on Tennis Channel both this year and in 2017, and her participation routinely leads our best ratings at major events like Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.”

Up Close and Personal

In May, her HBO documentary series Being Serena provided an intimate and unabashed look at the tennis star’s formerly private personal life, chronicling her pregnancy, her marriage to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and the birth of her daughter, Olympia.

“As one of the greatest athletes, male or female, in sports history, Serena’s successful run leading up to the U.S. Open, and certainly during the tournament, is all due to her drive, passion and willingness to succeed,” United States Tennis Association chair and president Katrina Adams said. “She certainly embodies what it means to be a champion both on and off the court.”

It would be hard for even a casual tennis fan not to know of Serena Williams’ groundbreaking tennis credentials over the past two decades. Since winning her first grand slam tennis title in 1999, Williams has arguably been the most dominant player in the history of the sport, winning a record 23 Grand Slam titles in tennis’s Open Era. Her on-court dominance has served up big ratings for her matches.

“Serena Williams has been in the national spotlight for more than 20 years as a trailblazer on and off the tennis court, and when she takes the court, she is must-see, and she moves the needle like few others ever have … not just in tennis but in all of sports,” ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions John Papa said.

Williams’ impressive U.S. Open ratings performance wasn’t even her first of the year. This past July, her appearance in the finals at Wimbledon — only her fourth tournament after giving birth — drew 2.6 million viewers, up 32% from 2017. It was the largest TV audience for the event since 2012, the year ESPN began televising the Wimbledon finals. “Serena has been part of many of ESPN’s most-watched tennis telecasts and remains a can’t-miss draw who everyone wants to see,” Papa said.

In May, Williams extended her appeal and brand beyond the tennis court by allowing cameras into her personal life and into the hospital room for the birth of her daughter as part of HBO’s documentary series Being Serena. The intimate look into Williams’ personal life was like was unlike any other sports documentary the network has done, executive vice president Peter Nelson said, but it was a no-brainer given Williams’s appeal and popularity.

“This was one of the only sports docuseries that’s ever been done that has a C-section on camera,” Nelson said. “When you see someone at the level of Serena Williams go through those challenges and fight through them, it’s very inspirational, and I don’t think people necessarily had seen her like that before. ”

Indeed, the documentary also highlighted complications that arose for Williams during her delivery, including life-threatening blood clots in her lungs.

“I almost died giving birth to my daughter, Olympia.” Williams wrote in a February CNN op-ed piece about her pregnancy. “Yet I consider myself fortunate.”

While HBO would not disclose audience numbers for Being Serena, the documentary introduced her to a new audience and showed a softer side of the ultracompetitive tennis star.

“This summer, fans were given an opportunity to get an inside glimpse from her documentary on her personal journey of becoming a mom,” USTA’s Adams said. “She represents a whole new side of inspiration amongst women from all walks of life and I think this is certainly appealing to all forms of media and will continue to be.”

Chasing Court’s Record

Williams is expected to take the court in 2019 in search of her elusive 24th Grand Slam title, which would match Margaret Court’s all-time record. Even as she gets older and with the challenges of being a new mother, HBO’s Nelson said it’s a good bet that Williams will ultimately achieve her goal — and big audiences will continue to tune in to see history made.

“To underestimate Serena Williams at any time is something that you do at your own peril,” he said.

Most sports fans know Serena Williams as arguably the best tennis player ever, but HBO’s new documentary series Being Serena serves up a very intimate look at the personal side of Williams that very few people have seen.

HBO, which is coming off its April Andre The Giant documentary -- the network's most successful sports-themed documentary in 15 years -- delivers a five-part documentary series that follows Williams from the 2017 Australian Open, which she won while pregnant, through her health complications in delivering her daughter, to her determination to get back on the court and reclaim her crown as the top tennis player in the world.

On the tennis court Serena is to be feared, dominating the court and staring down defeat in a very business-like manner. Very early in the documentary however, Williams is shown to be prone to fear and insecurity as she questions whether she can balance being a loving and strong mother to her daughter while being the driven, competitive and successful athlete she’s been since she and her sister Venus arrived on the tennis scene some two decades ago.

In a poignant moment of reflection during the first two hours of the series, Williams fully showcases her doubts about her tennis future while at the same time her unyielding desire to compete by simply stating, “I don’t know if there is anything left for me in tennis, but I know I’m not done yet.”

Sports fans looking for a documentary on Williams’ tennis career will be disappointed as match highlights are few and far between. Instead, the documentary spends most of the time chronicling Williams’ off the court life – including the birth of her daughter as well as preparing for her wedding to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian -- in often intimate detail that at times might make some viewers a bit squeamish.

Overall Being Serena offers viewers with fascinating insight into one of the greatest athletes of our time.

Tennis Channel air live Serena Williams’ return to the court with its U.S. Fed Cup team coverage this weekend, the network said Thursday.

Williams, who last competed in the 2017 Australian Open before taking time off due to her pregnancy, will join sister Venus, CoCo Vandeweghe and Lauren Davis on the US Fed Cup team when it competes against the Netherlands. Tennis Channel said it will cover live two singles matches on Feb. 10, as well as two singles matches and a doubles match on Sunday.

Last year the U.S. team won the Fed Cup championship against Belarus.

ESPN’s coverage of the Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams U.S. Open quarterfinals match drew the most tweets of all sports and entertainment shows last night.

The match, in which Serena defeated Venus to continue her quest to win a calendar-year Grand Slam, drew more than 230,000 tweets reaching 6 million unique Twitter users, according to Nielsen. ESPN2’s United States vs. Brazil soccer game followed behind with 81,000 tweets reaching 2.3 million Twitter users.

CBS’s premiere of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was the most social entertainment show of the night, generating 64,000 Tweets and reaching 2 million people using Twitter, said Nielsen.

In recognition of Serena Williams' Wimbledon Tennis championship win today, Tennis Channel will air Williams' sequential Grand Slam finals victories beginning Monday.

Tennis Channel on July 13 will air in chronological order Williams' 2014 US Open, 2015 Australian Open and French Open, as well as today's Wimbledon win, according to network officials.

In addition starting July 12, the network's Tennis Channel Plus digital subscription service will feature a fully dedicated section to the "Serena Slam" and will run her US Open, Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon wins on a 24/7 loop, said network officials. 

Tennis Channel will provide coverage of the upcoming 2015 US Open beginning Aug. 31. If Williams wins the U.S. Open, she will be the first female player to win all four Grand Slams in the same year since Steffi Graff in 1988, said network officials.

It’s often referred to as the fifth major, and Tennis Channel and ESPN2 are providing major coverage of the BNP Paribas Open.

Top fields at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden are headed by the world No. 1s, Novak Djovokic and Serena Williams. The Djoker is the defending champion, having topped. No. 2 Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 last March.

For her part, Williams’ is returning to the venue for the first time since 2001. Serena vowed never to play at Indiana Wells again after she defeated Kim Clijsters to win the title more than a decade ago. The day before, sister Venus, citing injury, withdrew from their semifinal match minutes before it was scheduled to begin, amidst speculation that their father Richard pushed the older sibling to withdraw. Fans at Indian Wells, unaware of the cancellation, booed Serena in the final and her father Richard said he heard racial epithets from the crowd.

That sparked Serena’s lengthy boycott – Venus has yet to return – which concluded with her 7-5, 7-5 win Friday night over Romania’s Monica Niculescu.

Flavia Pennetta is the defending women’s champion.

Tennis began its coverage of the 96-person fields on March 11, and has expanded its schedule to eight consecutive days of 12-hour, live-match blocks – and 10 days of live matches overall at the 12-day event. More than 100 live hours are planned this year, with 162 overall via encore telecasts.

The dedicated racquet sport service has added a second broadcast booth in the tournament’s new state-of-the art Stadium 2, which bowed last year. This gives Tennis Channel an event presence in three distinct locations: a booth in Stadium 2, a booth on the main court at Stadium 1 and a studio desk on the tournament grounds, the hub of the network’s on-air activity. Most days coverage starts with half-hour lead-in show, Live at the BNP Paribas Open at 1:30 p.m. (ET). Based at the tournament desk, Emmy Award-winning host will appear with Hall of Famers Tracy Austin and Jim Courier, along with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim. In addition to news and analysis, the quartet will offer special segments, interviews and an overall diary of the tournament’s progression.

The worldwide leader has led in digitally, with ESPN3 providing match coverage from Stadiums 1, 2 and 3.

 ESPN2 and authenticated, streaming service WatchESPN get onto court for some 21 hours, starting March 19 and concluding on ESPN on March 22 with the women’s and men’s championships.

Serena Williams begins her quest for a fifth WTA Finals championship against Ana Ivanovic from Singapore on Monday

The Oct. 20 Red Group confrontation -- a rematch of Ivanovic's upset over the World No. 1 at the Australian Open -- is the opening singles match in the round-robin stage.  Romania's Simona Halep and comely Canadian Eugenie Bouchard round out the Red Group.

On the opposite side of the draw, French Open champion Maria tops the White Group, which also includes Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska and the resurgent Caroline Wozniacki.

Whether you prefer red or white, Tennis Channel will supply 35 hours of coverage from the women's season-ending event, showcasing the top eight singles players and the same number of doubles duos.  The network will deliver 25 live and first-run hours, and close to 35 overall from the Oct. 20-26 event, showcasing the top eight singles players and doubles teams competing in the round-robin and then single-elimination format.

During the six-day event, Tennis Channel will air all singles round-robin and semifinals matches live, with same-day encore singles championship coverage on Oct. 26. Additionally, the network has live coverage of the doubles quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, which air on Oct. 25. Telecasts will run throughout the day most days of the week.  Tennis Channel analysts Mary Carillo and Hall of Famer Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin), the 1980 WTA finals singles champion, will call the matches during the tournament. Joining them will be Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs), who won the 2001 doubles title, and Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76), who won three consecutive year-end doubles crowns from 1996-1998 and the singles title in 1999.

If it’s Paris in the spring, then it’s Rafa’s time, right? Perhaps not in 2014.

Rafael Nadal, the eight-time titlist, including the holder of the 2010-13 crowns, enters this year’s French Open maybe not on feet of clay, but looking somewhat vulnerable on his favorite surface. Nadal has only one won clay court tournament this spring, the Madrid Open, and that came as the ascendant Kei Nikishori was forced to retire in the third set with a back injury.

On the ladies’ side, the key question, as always, remains: Can anyone stop Serena Williams if she’s healthy and in form? The younger Williams – big sis Venus is the 29th seed – is looking to defend her 2013 title in which she dominated the 2012 queen Maria Sharapova.

The denouement of these and other storylines – most notably can Novak Djokovic end Rafa’s reign and earn his own career Grand Slam, after narrowly faltering in 2013, when he touched the net and lost a key point in the ninth game of the decisive fifth set --  will be answered over the next fortnight.

For those not fortunate enough to be at Stade Roland Garros, Tennis Channel, ESPN2 and NBC will have just about all the angles covered, as the tournament gets underway on Sunday, May 25, and concludes on the broadcaster’s air on June 8.

All three networks will be in play on opening day with ESPN2 serving first at 5 a.m. (ET), before giving way to Tennis Channel at 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. NBC joins the Parisian party with a three-hour run from noon to 3 p.m.

Together, the networks are scheduled to serve up a collective 127 hours of live and same-day first run action. And when Tennis Channel adds in its encores and French Open Tonight highlights/analysis show from the Musketeer Plaza, fans of the Grand Slam event, who are so inclined, can check in on some action virtually around the clock over the next two weeks.

In addition to the aforementioned clay tales, there are intriguing gender stories on both sides of the net, heading into Roland Garros.

World No. 2 Li Na, this year’s winner in Melbourne and the 2011 French Open titlist, may have the best chance to unseat Williams. She's followed by such other notables as No. 3 Aga Radwanska; fourth-ranked Simona Halep, who has climbed the rankings over the past year; and the diminutive 10th seed Dominka Cibulkova, who lost to Na in the finals of this year’s Australian Open.

The field, which excludes the injured Victoria Azarenka, does include three other French Open winners aside from Williams and Sharapova: Francesca Schiavone (2010), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009), and Ana Ivanovic (2008). The latter has rounded back into form over the past year.   

Three others to watch: American Sloane Stephens, the No. 16 seed has had a disappointing campaign, but generally puts on a good show at the Slams; the telegenic 20-year-old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who reached the semis at the Australian; and Jelena Jankovic, a three-time French semifinalist. The former world No. 1 is on the upswing again.

As for the guys, Switzerland is well-represented with No. 3 Stan Wawrinka looking to add Roland Garros to his major collection: He beat an injured Rafa to claim the 2014 Slam Down Under. Countryman and current world No. 4 Roger Federer, despite going out in his opening match in Rome, has enjoyed a much better 2014, than 2013, campaign. The all-time men’s Slam king is looking to bestow a repeat Parisian present on his wife Mirka: Federer won the 2009 French Open after she had just given birth to twin girls, and the couple recently welcomed twin boys into their family.

Elsewhere, it’s hard to assess where Wimbledon champion Andy Murray stands, as he still is trying to return to consistent former following back surgery late last year. David Ferrer, who made his first Slam final last year, is always a threat to roll deep at Roland Garros and could meet Rafa in the quarters this time around. Nishikori, the first Japanese player to make the ATP top 10, and No. 8 seed Milos Raonic, the 23-year-old Canadian with the booming serve, may also prove interesting on the terra baute.  Seeded 11th, John Isner is the highest-ranked American male.

Herewith is what the networks have in store for viewers from the French over the next couple of weeks:

NBC

Now in its 32nd consecutive year of coverage, the Peacock has reason to strut with the tourney’s marquee matches:  men’s and women’s semifinal action, as well as its “café and croissant” presentations of the business end of the tournament. Ted Robinson, in his 15th French Open, anchors the broadcaster's booth with Mary Carillo and John McEnroe, the Parisian mixed doubles winners from 1977. The trio will make the finals calls on June 7 and June 8, when the winners lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen and Coupe des Mousquetaires, respectively.

NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will stream the network's French Open coverage. The vast majority of the content will be streamed live via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

FRENCH OPEN ON NBC

ESPN

ESPN2 will deliver more and 50 hours of coverage, while broadband service ESPN3 will showcase some 330 hours of action from up to seven courts on the days when the TV network is on the air. ESPN2 and ESPN3 will begin at 5 a.m. most days on weekdays through Thursday, June 5, culminating with the women’s semifinals.

After the opening day, ESPN2’s schedule will continue with an all-live telecast starting at 5 a.m. each day through Friday, May 30, and then again on Monday, June 2.  The network will air live and same-day quarterfinal action Tuesday, June 4, at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, June 5, at 8 a.m.  ESPN2 will air both women’s semifinals live Thursday, June 6, beginning at 9 a.m.

ESPN is bringing most of its veteran tennis on-air team to Paris: Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Fowler and Pam Shriver.

TV Everywhere service WatchESPN will live-stream ESPN2’s live coverage of the French Open online at WatchESPN.com, as well as on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. It also accessible to Xbox LIVE to Gold members, and on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. All told, WatchESPN reaches more than 92 million households nationwide via affiliated video or Internet providers.

2014 French Open on ESPN2 & ESPN2 HD

2014 French Open on ESPN3

Tennis Channel

As the primary rights-holder, the dedicated racquet sports network, which is increasing its reach from 35 million to 50 million homes via freeviews from Dish Network and DirecTV, serves up by far the most French Open coverage.

Now in its seventh year of an alliance in which it exchanges rights to Roland Garros and the Australian Open with ESPN, Tennis is providing the production from the cable side in Paris and benefits from cross-channel promotion with the worldwide leader.

Starting with the opening Sunday through the men's semifinal round Friday, June 6, Tennis will proffer 12 days of live coverage, followed by same-day encore matches during championship weekend. All told, Tennis Channel will air more than 250 round-the-clock hours from this year's Roland Garros –70 of live or first-run matches, almost 60 dedicated to replays and 120 to three-hour nightly show French Open Tonight (37.5 first-run), hosted by Bill Macatee.

For the most part,  Tennis’ daily schedule consists of nine-hour match blocks that start at 10 a.m. and run to 3:30 p.m. on most days. The live coverage is followed by three-and-a-half hours of encore replays, which serve as a bridge to French Open Tonight. The program, premiering from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., before encoring two more times until 4 a.m., offers a nightly digest of that day's play via interviews, highlights, features and full game or set replays when appropriate. Guests include players, coaches, Hall of Famers, tennis officials, occasional celebrities, reporters, Tennis Channel analysts and others associated with Roland Garros.

In addition to Macatee, Tennis’ French Open on-air squad encompasses Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Ian Eagle, Justin Gimelstob, Brett Haber, Katrina Adams, Rennae Stubbs, Leif Shiras and John Wertheim, as well as Carillo and Robinson.

Paul Annacone, the noted coach (currently with Stephens, he previously worked with Federer and Pete Sampras) and former player, is making his first French appearance for the network, as is two-time titlist Jim Courier, the current U.S. Davis Cup captain, who is continuing to expand his workload with Tennis.

The network’s app, Tennis Channel Everywhere, is free to all Apple or Android users whether or not they currently subscribe to the linead service, and they can check out daily updates, online video highlights, “Court Report” news updates and player “Bag Check” clips.

Authenticated Dish, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, National Cable Television Cooperative and now Cox subscribers can live stream Tennis’ French Open match coverage.

Tennis Channel's Live 2014 French Open Match Schedule (Men's/Women's Singles Unless Otherwise Specified)

Date                                        Time (ET)                  Event                                     

Sunday, May 25                      10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        First-Round Action

Monday, May 26                    10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        First-Round Action

Tuesday, May 27                    10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        First-Round Action

Wednesday, May 28               10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Second-Round Action

Thursday, May 29                   10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Second-Round Action

Friday, May 30                       10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Third-Round Action

Saturday, May 31                   5 a.m.-Noon                Third-Round Action

Sunday, June 1                        5 a.m.-1 p.m.               Round-of-16 Action

Monday, June 2                      10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.        Round-of-16 Action

Tuesday, June 3                      8 a.m.-1 p.m.               Quarterfinals

Thursday, June 5                     6 a.m.-9 a.m.               Mixed-Doubles Final

Friday, June 6                         7 a.m.-11 a.m.             Men's Semifinal

Tennis Channel Encore Match Coverage

Wednesday, June 4 - 1 p.m.-7 p.m.: men's and women's singles quarterfinals

Thursday, June 5 - 2 p.m.-7 p.m.: women's semifinals

Friday, June 6 - 5 p.m.-midnight: men's semifinals

Saturday, June 7 - 12 a.m.-7 a.m.: men's semifinals; 9 p.m.-11 p.m. women's final

Sunday, June 8 - 7 a.m.-9 a.m. and 7 p.m.-9 p.m.: women's final; 9 p.m.-midnight: men's final

(Additional encores will air after the tournament during the week of June 8)