LOS ANGELES and DALLAS, Feb. 6 2025 – Tennis Channel and the United Pickleball Association (UPA) have launched an app in support of their co-owned pickleball-dedicated television network, Pickleballtv (PBTV). Available to all iOS and Android users, the Pickleballtv app is the sport’s most comprehensive media destination, with thousands of hours of live and on-demand matches from the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP). This is in addition to exclusive viewing features and content dedicated to America’s fastest-growing sport. Fans can purchase the Pickleballtv app for $5.99 a month or $59.99 per year and, for a limited time, with a free, 30-day trial period for each.
As the parent company of the PPA Tour and MLP, the UPA is the steward of the highest level of professional pickleball in the world.
Introduced in November 2023, Pickleballtv offers more than 30 PPA Tour and MLP events, original programming and studio news shows. The network is available at no cost on Pickleballtv.com and a variety of other platforms (complete list below). In 2024, more than one billion minutes were watched by fans on Pickleballtv.com. The channel will continue to be free on these outlets as well as on its new app. App subscribers who want even more pickleball will have access to:
- More than 3,000 hours of live pickleball
- On-demand replays of every match
- DVR features that allow fans to pause, rewind and replay every exciting moment
- Instructional videos with tips and techniques for honing anyone’s pickleball game
- Celebrity competitions
- Additional pickleball-lifestyle programming
“The Pickleballtv app is the new home for everyone who can’t get enough of this sport,” said Bob Whyley, senior vice present, content production, and executive producer, Tennis Channel. “In just over a year the Tennis Channel and UPA partnership has led to more top-level pickleball on TV, a television network dedicated to the game, and now an app where recreational players and fans of the pros alike can get 24-hour access to all of the things that they love about pickleball.”
Tennis Channel and the PPA entered into a joint venture in September 2023, which carried over to the UPA with the merger of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. The network produces all PPA Tour and MLP events and gives both brands broad coverage across its television and streaming platforms. Pickleballtv will offer extensive daily coverage during the PPA Tour’s Proton Tucson Open in Arizona this week, beginning Thursday, Feb. 6. A complete schedule can be found at PPATour.com/tournament/proton-tucson-open/.
“The fan base for professional pickleball is growing at incredible speeds, so the Pickleballtv app is an exciting and necessary addition to allow fans of the sport to follow the action and go behind-the-scenes with exclusive content,” said Connor Pardoe, founder and CEO of the Carvana PPA Tour. “The joint venture with the Tennis Channel has been incredible for the sport, and this marks a key step in bringing more valuable content to our passionate pickleball fans while sharing the sport with more new fans than ever before.”
Following the nationwide burst of pickleball interest in recent years, Pickleballtv has become the television home of PPA Tour and MLP fans. In addition to live and encore matches, the channel follows both tours with news-and-highlight show Pickleball Live. Original series My Pickleball Life take viewers behind the scenes with the game’s biggest stars, top-ranked players like Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters and Tyson McGuffin. Other programs focus on the various cultural aspects of pickleball, be they celebrity, on-court romance or humor. Pickleballtv also provides instructional information for the sport’s recreational players.
Additional Pickleballtv content can be found on Pickleballtv X (X.com/Pickleballtv), Pickleballtv Instagram (Instagram.com/Pickleballtv) and Pickleballtv TikTok (Tiktok.com/@Pickleballtv).
The channel is available for free to anyone in the United States on Pickleballtv.com, the new app, LG TV, Local Now, Philo, Plex, Roku and Samsung TV+. Subscribers of Amazon Prime Video, DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo and YouTube TV also receive Pickleballtv at no additional cost.
About Carvana PPA Tour:
Founded in 2019, the Carvana PPA Tour is where pickleball’s top athletes go head-to-head to determine the best male and female players in the world. The Carvana PPA Tour organizes and conducts tournaments at world-class facilities across the country, establishes player rankings, and showcases the world’s best pickleball week in and week out. Inviting amateur players to also compete and “play where the pros play,” the Carvana PPA Tour offers divisions for every age group and skill level. Characterized by a uniquely festive and fun atmosphere, Carvana PPA Tour events deliver unparalleled experiences for fans on-site, including pro player meet-and-greets, clinics, food, beverages, live entertainment, giveaways, games, shopping, and VIP upgrades. For more information, go to www.ppatour.com, and follow us on social: Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn.
About Major League Pickleball:
Founded in 2021, Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) is the preeminent, coed, team-based professional pickleball league, featuring nearly 100 of the best athletes across 22 teams, a unique format, easy to understand scoring, iconic team owners, and the most electric live events and fan experience in the sport. In 2024, MLP and the PPA Tour merged under the newly-formed United Pickleball Association, bringing together the leading professional pickleball organizations under a single entity. For more information on Major League Pickleball, visit the official website and follow MLP on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com) and its sibling network T2, which are owned by Sinclair, Inc., are the only television-based multiplatform destinations dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. The networks have the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television in one of the world’s most voluminous sports, with multiple men’s and women’s tournaments and singles, doubles and mixed competition throughout the year. Tennis Channel and T2 have rights at the four majors – US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open) and Australian Open – and are the exclusive U.S. homes of all men’s ATP World Tour and women’s WTA Tour competitions, Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, and Laver Cup. The network’s app and website house a direct-to-consumer streaming service with the traditional television network and 10,000 hours of live and on-demand matches beside original content. Tennis Channel International brings live competition and network content to markets in Europe and Asia via digital subscription and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. Additional platform www.tennis.com is the largest digital outlet dedicated to the sport. Tennis Channel also oversees a network of close to 20 podcasts and is a co-owner of Pickleballtv, a joint venture with the Professional Pickleball Association.
About Sinclair:
Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks; and owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE!, TBD., and The Nest. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
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For further information:
Eric Abner, Tennis Channel, 310-314-9445, eabner@tennischannel.com, @TennisChannelPR
Jeff Watson, Carvana PPA Tour/MLP, 817-944-2298, j.watson@ppatour.com