Meet The Team: Sarah Cantlay

To start us off – when you think of the US Open, what’s the first word or feeling that comes to mind?

Spectacular. The feeling when you arrive, the electric atmosphere around the grounds, the loud New York crowds – it all adds to making it the one of the world’s best sporting events. It has the biggest tennis stadium in the world (Arthur Ashe) and welcomes over 1 million spectators onsite each year, so that gives you an idea of the vast scale of the tournament.  

Can you walk us through your role in managing the media rights for the US Open and how that connects IMG’s work with the USTA?

There are many aspects to my role, at the core it’s about helping the US Open grow its global reach, boost fan engagement, and drive revenue, which is made possible through our domestic and international broadcast partnerships that we bring on behalf of the US Tennis Association (USTA). Beyond our broadcaster rights, I operate across our other touchpoints that strengthen the wider relationship; including our Asia-based digital team Mailman, who’ve been key in making the US Open the most engaged Grand Slam in China, and Sport 24, who bring live coverage to hundreds of ships and aircraft. Then during the tournament itself, I head onsite with our studios team to help deliver bespoke distribution solutions for our broadcasters. A lot of people make the partnership what it is and it’s amazing to see everything come together during the US Open Championships each year!  

Media rights negotiations can span months, even years, what does the lifecycle of a major agreement look like from your perspective?

The first step to entering any agreement whether a renewal or if we have gone to tender, is to make sure you have done a full 360 review of the market or region being negotiated so you can go into it with a clear strategy of the key market players and an understanding of the level of value these rights hold. Once the agreed strategy is in place, we then look to our sales team in that market to communicate with the broadcasters regarding the rights on offer and wait for offers to be submitted. Each negotiation brings different challenges – lack of budget, limited market competition etc, so it’s important to stay internally aligned on the process and end goal. Once the media rights have been granted, next up is the contract phase! Shout out to Rob Jones who is my legal support for the US Open and always helps keep this part running smoothly. It’s a fine balance of being conscious of the broadcasters’ exclusivity, but also protecting our clients’ rights and their platforms to make sure they are still able to optimise their own content. When we finally get to signature phase, there is always a sigh of relief…normally followed by a glass of wine… (after office hours of course)!  

IMG recently renewed our partnership with the USTA, what does that expansion mean in practical terms for the tournament’s media strategy?

We have been in partnership with the USTA since 2011, so it means we can keep building on what’s already been working but also look to explore and navigate into new areas. With the groundbreaking 12-year ESPN deal in US, Canada, Latin America & the Caribbean there is real opportunity for the tournament to build on the commitment from its domestic partner that will provide increased exposure, coverage and promotion. With many other multi-year broadcast partners, whether through traditional TV deals or digital platforms, there is more focus on data and insights. Truly understanding how fans are consuming and engaging is vital so broadcasters can tailor and personalise the coverage to help optimise reach.    

How do you work with broadcasters to ensure the coverage reflects the unique energy and personality of the US Open?

The most important part of this is communication and making sure they are fully aware of all the additional content that the US Open has to offer outside of the live action. The US Open is a 3-week tournament with so much content on offer, starting with Fan Week which includes the new mixed doubles event, exhibition matches with current and ex-players, music concerts and lots of other onsite activations. Recognising the need for this, new to 2025, there was a specialised content channel created called US Open+, which gave access to behind-the-scenes content, around the ground action, celebrity sightings and more throughout the tournament, further enhancing the broadcaster’s day to day coverage.  

With so many viewing habits changing, from linear TV to streaming, how do you future-proof media deals for the next generation of fans?

We structure deals based on the needs at the time, but also leave room to evolve as new platforms or habits come along. The more we understand how and where people are watching the US Open, the better we can shape deals that tailor to this. Some fans like to watch sport on their TV in the living room, and some will just watch the highlights on TikTok during their commute. So, with the use of data we need to stay on top of consumer patterns and make sure our agreements reflect this. I don’t think linear TV is going anywhere soon and still has massive reach, but it’s clear to see that streaming companies are becoming big buyers of sport and technology is aiding this movement, so it’s just important to acknowledge this shift when thinking about our media agreements.  

The US Open is broadcast to millions worldwide, what’s the most important factor in making that connection feel authentic for fans in different markets?

A big part of this is localised content and tailored storytelling – how fans experience the US Open in China is not the same as the fans in Spain, or the United States for example. For me, it is all about local relevance, which comes through highlighting their national players, celebrating their wins and shaping broadcaster content to follow their journeys. Multi-lingual production with local language commentary also adds another layer of personalisation to this and is something we see with some of our broadcaster coverage. Lastly, having local talent attend the event helps the audience connect. The US Open has a huge celebrity programme, so any content that shows national celebrities seen watching the tennis in the seats of Arthur Ashe normally performs very well across the broadcasters’ platforms. All this brings the tournament to life in a global way.  

Can you share a moment where you saw the impact of your work?

Last year (2024) we had a record-breaking TV audience of 175M across 200+ territories for the US Open. When you see data like that it’s rewarding to feel that all the efforts that are made throughout the year are moving the viewership in the right direction.  

Delivering on global media partnerships involves so many stakeholders, from rights holders to broadcasters to sponsors. What does successful collaboration look like in your world?

Successful collaboration is about getting everyone aligned on both the vision and execution. That involves clear communication and a shared commitment to growing the tournament’s reach and impact. When rightsholders, broadcasters, and sponsors work in sync, we can deliver media partnerships that not only drive revenue but also create authentic, engaging experiences for fans worldwide. On a personal level, the stakeholders that I work with on a daily basis are a really great bunch of people, so this just strengthens the relationships across the board and creates a positive environment for combined success.   

What trends or technologies do you think will most change the way fans consume the US Open in the next five years?

If you look ahead five years, I think the biggest shift will be around personalization and interactivity. Fans increasingly want to be in control of their viewing, whether that’s streaming on their schedule, following just their favourite players, or diving into real-time stats. Add in things like AI-driven highlights, augmented reality/video reality, digital avatars and immersive environments, and you start to see a change towards a more personalized and elevated fan experience. The other piece is community, fans don’t just want to watch anymore, they want to share, react, and feel part of the moment, whether that’s on social platforms or other interactive tools. So, I think we will see the US Open experience reflect this even more than it does now.  

For someone aspiring to work in sports media rights, what’s one piece of advice that goes beyond the usual “network and work hard”?

I think it’s just important to remain curious. Don’t just watch the sport, but watch how people are consuming it, how the deal works, what innovations are we seeing across all sports and how new technology is driving this. Having that insight makes you more valuable to your client and will put you one step ahead of the rest. 

Quick Fire Round 

Most played track on your playlist right now? 

What I want by Morgan Wallen ft Tate McRae  

Go-to snack during the tournament fortnight? 

Everything bagel (more of a treat than a snack!) I discovered them when I was at university in the US and they are delicious. There was a bagel place where we were staying in Williamsburg NY called Leon’s Bagels – if you are ever there, I fully recommend! 

Favorite film of all time?  

Inception