Novak Djokovic’s Australian visa cancellation and potential exit from this year’s Open could impact ratings value for broadcasters, says GlobalData.
Following the news that Australia has cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa on his arrival in Melbourne, Patrick Kinch, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, a leading analytics and data company, offers his view:
“Australia’s decision to revoke Novak Djokovic’s visa could have negative implications for broadcasters and the year’s first Grand Slam, with ratings and tournament value likely taking a hit. Djokovic’s vaccination status is a polarising issue with many Australians infuriated that the player had been granted a medical exemption. The implications for Tennis Australia, the managers of the Australian Open, could be a lower quality event with a less desirable narrative of the lack of competition between the men’s singles players with the record-breaking Champion absent.
“A more tangible impact may be felt by the broadcasters. The lead domestic rights for the Australian Open are carried by Channel Nine Network in a $230 million deal between 2020 and 2024. There could be lower TV ratings as the competition will be without its nine-time defending champion, or the stance taken by the Australian government could provide a boost to ratings given the high level of support for it in the country. Channel Nine’s ratings for Djokovic’s victory in the 2021 final pulled in 1.17 million people across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, down from 1.5 million in 2020. With the domestic broadcaster’s overall tournament viewing figures down 30% on 2020, it will remain to be seen what impact Djokovic’s absence will have on this trend.
“With men’s tennis coming to the end of the age of the Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer trifecta, the importance to Australian broadcasters that new compelling rivalries emerge will be vital to sustained media rights value. Fans will now be looking to the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas for the next generation of great men’s singles players, as Djokovic suffers from Australia’s strict COVID-19 border regulations.”
