WTA renews China rights deals for 2026 as fan engagement soars
ST PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The WTA on Monday announced the extension of its streaming partnerships with Migu and Tencent, ensuring comprehensive digital coverage in China of international tournaments throughout the 2026 season of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. Under the renewed agreements, digital platforms operated by Migu and Tencent will provide coverage from every tournament held outside Chinese mainland, from WTA 1000s, 500s and 250s through to the season-ending WTA Finals in November. In addition, coverage of the WTA Tour on Youku continues through the 2026 season as part of the three-year agreement announced in 2024.
As women’s tennis gains momentum in China, viewership of international tournaments surged in 2025, with Chinese fans closely following the drama of the WTA Tour throughout the season. Audiences for international WTA events increased more than thirtyfold, driven by a step-change in coverage across digital platforms including Migu, Tencent and Youku, and the success of Chinese players competing at the highest level of the sport, including World No. 25 and 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
The growing popularity of the WTA Tour in China is also reflected in rising engagement across social media. In 2025, total followers of the WTA’s official channels in China grew 14% to 2.3 million, driven by more than 300% growth in followers on short-form video platforms such as Douyin, Rednote, and WeChat Channels. Total WTA video views on social platforms rose 71% year-on-year, reaching 125 million.
Marina Storti, chief executive of WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, said: “Our partnerships with leading Chinese streaming platforms have delivered a significant step-change in both coverage and viewership of international tournaments, bringing the excitement of the global WTA Tour to more fans than ever. The surge in streaming audiences, along with rising engagement on social platforms, highlights the growing enthusiasm for women’s tennis in this key market. We are thrilled to extend our valued relationships with Migu and Tencent through the 2026 season, alongside our ongoing partnership with Youku, as we continue to grow the WTA’s presence and impact in China.”
Xu Jie, Deputy General Manager of Migu, said: “Teaming up with the WTA for the 2026 season marks a significant expansion of our sports ecosystem. Over the years, Migu has been committed to delivering premium viewing experiences to sports enthusiasts, leveraging our strengths in original program content, cutting-edge smart technologies and professional commentary. We believe this collaboration will further accelerate our transformation into a mediatized, community-driven, and intelligent platform, while also fueling the rapid development of tennis in China.”
Jeff Han, the Vice President of Tencent Online Video, added: “Entering the second year of collaboration, Tencent will continue to leverage the advantages of its full-platform matrix, ensure fans' viewing experience with stable and smooth broadcasting services, create diverse interactive content to narrow the distance between events and audiences, and let more people feel the unique charm of women's tennis. We look forward to continuously promoting the popularization and development of tennis in the Chinese market with the WTA.”
Matches from international tournaments on the 2026 season of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz will be available for streaming on Migu digital platforms (including Migu Video, China Mobile HD Service, Mishijie, and Heshangwu TV) and Tencent digital platforms (including Tencent Video, Tencent Sports, Tencent News, WeChat and qq.com. Both deals cover live and delayed matches, as well as match clips, for audiences in China (excluding Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Chinese Taipei).
Note: increase in cumulative streaming audience for international WTA events is based on data for the first nine months of 2025.