Tennis online, anyone? USTA adds high-tech exec

From...

by Terry Lefton

(IDG) -- As it moves to join other major sports-rights holders with a more concerted online focus, the U.S. Tennis Association has hired its first senior new-media executive.

The governing body of tennis in the U.S. has hired Ezra Kucharz as the USTA's first managing director of new media. Kucharz is a co-founder of seminal sports content site Total Sports, which was acquired by Quokka in November.

IDG.net INFOCENTER The Standard's Main Page The Standard's Commerce News Sign up for daily news from The Standard The Standard's Company Research Related IDG.net Stories Billie Jean King hits the Net Global Sports' winning streak Sports games Features How to get discovered on the Web What broadband revolution? Napster won't remain the same Visit an IDG site Choose a site: IDG.net CIO Computerworld Darwin Dummies.com GamePro.com The Industry Standard ITWorld.com InfoWorld.com JavaWorld LinuxWorld Macworld Online Network World Fusion PC World Publish.com SunWorld IDG.net search

While the USTA has one of the most well-traveled event sites in sports (USOpen.org attracted 4.4 million unique visitors during the two-week event last year), the interactive arena has taken a back seat to its cash cow: tickets, sponsorship and broadcasting sales for the U.S. Open, which brings in more than $100 million in annual revenues.

IBM has operated USOpen.org for more than five years, as a byproduct of its USTA sponsorship. Perhaps not coincidentally, IBM's omnibus technology-sponsorship rights expire after this year's Open. An expanded suite of interactive offerings could allow the USTA to attract more technology-sponsorship revenues going forward. The dearth of advertising on the two USTA sites also may change.

"We're still formulating our strategy, and [Kucharz] will help us do that, but there is a real opportunity to fulfill our mission as the clearinghouse for grassroots tennis information and provide better overall content for USOpen.org and USTA.com,'' says Pierce O'Neil, chief marketing officer at the USTA. "And as far as putting together what we will position as the all-purpose tennis portal, no one is better qualified."

Kucharz said he also will ramp up the USTA's interactive TV efforts.

"Pro-sports sites attract huge numbers, and when you look at the demographics of tennis players, there's a real opportunity for us," he says. NFL.com may be the top-league sports site with about 4.4 million unique visitors monthly, he added, but "there aren't many people over 25 playing football. That gives us a real advantage."

Guide to a wired Super Bowl
January 22, 2001
XML takes it to the hoop for the NBA
October 12, 2000
Olympic Web is no match for TV
September 21, 2000
Does the Web cut it for Super Bowl viewing?
February 1, 2000
Tennis fans go wireless at the U.S. Open
September 8, 2000

Billie Jean King hits the Net
(The Industry Standard)
Global Sports' winning streak
(The Industry Standard)
Sports games
(PCWorld.com)
Sports site ignite scores $17 million
(The Industry Standard)
Let the Web games begin
(PCWorld.com)
Yahoo local sports editions
(PCWorld.com)
Tennis fans go wireless at the U.S. Open
(Computerworld)
Wimbledon net hit 2.3 billion times
(Computerworld)

United States Tennis Association
IBM Corp.
Total Sports Inc.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.