ITV’s ground-breaking deal to broadcast live padel
The Hexagon Cup is underway in Madrid, with Andy Murray’s Team AD/vantage going head-to-head with other celeb-backed squads in a tournament featuring some of the top padel players in the world in an innovative team format with a record-breaking €1million prize pot on offer.
With great camera angles and English commentary (including from The Bandeja coach and former World No 1 Mauri Andrini plus ITV sports journalist and cycling specialist Ned Boulting), it’s a good opportunity to watch top level men’s and women’s padel and perhaps pick up a few tips.
The event is being streamed over a number of platforms depending upon country – the Hexagon Cup website has details (click ‘where to watch‘ in the menu bar, scroll down and select your country). Or watch via the Hexagon Cup YouTube channel.
In the UK ITVX will be streaming the semi and finals live this weekend, the first time the channel has broadcast a professional padel event. Play starts at 11am on Saturday and 12noon on Sunday. Highlights will be on ITV4.
Mark the first weekend of February in your diary – top level padel is coming live to ITV in a groundbreaking deal between the broadcaster and the Hexagon Cup, a new-launch, high-profile tournament that’s attracted the backing of Andy Murray, Barcelona FC footballer Robert Lewandowski and US actress Eva Longoria.
The deal marks a first for ITV and confirms the growing interest the sport is attracting in the UK and across the world. It will broadcast the Hexagon Cup semi-finals on Saturday, February 3, and the finals on Sunday, February 4th live from Madrid on ITVX, with a highlights programme scheduled for ITV4.
UK viewers will get a ringside view of the action featuring a host of the world’s best padel players including Gemma Triay, Alejandra Salazar, Paquito Navarro, Marta Ortega, Franco Stupaczuk, Bea González, Arturo Coello, Agustín Tapia, Fernando Belasteguín and Martin Di Nenno. At stake is a €1 million prize pot.
Major win
Tim Godfrey, Strategic Advisor, Hexagon Cup, 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.”
Teams
The Hexagon Cup kicks off on January 31 at the Madrid Arena. Six teams comprised of three pairs (male, female and ‘next gen’ stars of the future players) will be split into two qualifying groups with the top two pairs from each group going through to the semi-finals.
Each team has high-profile backers – former world No 1 tennis player Andy Murray has partnered with AD Global Sports, founded by Arran Yentob and Dani Vallverdú (Murray’s former coach) to form the cup’s Team AD/vantage.
Arran said: “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 it will create more excitement and engagement in the sport itself and hopefully support for team AD/Vantage!”
In November actress Eva Longoria was announced as co-owner of the cup’s ElevenEleven Team USA team, which is fielding a strong line-up with the renowned Bela as its lead male franchise player and World No 1 female player Paula Jose María. Eva said: “The event’s inclusive nature, taking the top male, female and next gen players to form teams which play together equally for success, was something that really attracted me.”
The Rafa Nadal Academy team has a stellar line-up with Marta Ortega, Alex Ruiz Granados, Gemma Triay and Franco Stupaczuk. Tapia and Ariana Sánchez Fallada are amongst the players turning out for RL9, Robert Lewandowski’s team, and Bea González/Arturo Coello are lead players for Team Bella Puerto Rico. The Hexagon team has bagged Alejandra Salazar and Paquito Navarro.
The championship’s global TV coverage is being produced by London-based Aurora Media Worldwide. It will also be broadcast on Eurosport and discovery+ across Europe and Asia.
With the motto ‘For the Fans. For the Players. For the Game’, the Hexagon Cup aims to bring a fresh approach to tournaments and transform the sport with a completely new format. Tickets are now on sale at www.hexagoncup.com.
