The Hexagon Cup, the new all-star padel tournament featuring Andy Murray, is to be screened live on ITV in early February.
ITV’s UK broadcast rights deal will see the semi-finals and the finals live streamed on ITVX on 3-4 February, with a highlights programme shown on ITV4.
The partnership marks the first time live padel has ever been shown on terrestrial UK television.
As The Padel Paper reported back in October, the Hexagon Cup is backed by the Daily Mail’s venture capital business DMGT and will feature an unprecedented 1million euro prize pot.
The tournament, which starts on 31 January in Madrid, features pro teams owned by celebrities including Britain’s two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, US actress Eva Longoria and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski.
Tim Godfrey, Hexagon Cup’s strategic advisor, said: “This partnership with ITV marks a major win, not only for the Hexagon Cup which now has a leading, free-to-air home in the UK, but also for British padel fans who are picking up a passion for the playing the sport, and can now watch the best players in the world, live and free.”
The championship’s global TV coverage will be produced by London-based sports innovation specialists Aurora Media Worldwide.
Niall Sloane, Director of Sport, ITV, added: “We are looking forward to ITV X showcasing this exciting new sport which has caught the attention of so many fans.”
Hexagon Cup team owner Andy Murray, who has already made an investment in padel in the UK with Game4Padel, is partnering with Arran Yentob and Dani Vallverdu, founders of AD Global Sports as co-owners. AD Global Sports was set up to invest in the development of sports in the UK and globally.
The partnership reunites Dani Vallverdú with Andy Murray, whom he coached from 2010 to 2014, during which time Murray won his first Olympic gold medal at London 2012, and two Grand Slams at the 2012 US Open and the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.
Team AD/vantage Co-Owner Arran Yentob commented: “Padel is gaining more and more traction and attention in the UK. Having ITV confirmed as the Hexagon Cup’s UK broadcast channel is great news for all fans and we hope will create more excitement and engagement in the sport itself and hopefully support for team AD/Vantage!”
The Hexagon Cup features six teams, each featuring a male, female and Next Gen pair who compete for an impressive prize pool of one million euros.
For its first event, the Hexagon Cup will take over the country’s historic Madrid Arena from January 31 to February 4. During the tournament itself, the six teams are divided into two qualifying groups and compete in a series of head-to-head match-ups. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the finals, where the inaugural Hexagon Cup champions will be crowned.
