Daria Kasatkina has declared WTA TV as “one of the worst platforms” as the world No. 18 thinks the WTA is doing a very poor job of promoting its product.
In 2016, WTA and Tennis TV ended their contract agreement. Since then, Tennis TV has been solely broadcasting ATP matches. Meanwhile, the WTA launched its own platform WTA TV in 2017 after separating from Tennis TV.
Kasatkina, a 2022 French Open semifinalist, thinks the ATP has done a much better job of promoting its product in recent years. When it comes to WTA TV, Kasatkina says she feels at times that the WTA “intentionally does not promote women’s tennis.”
Kasatkina: WTA TV is one of the worst platforms
“I wouldn’t separate WTA from Tennis TV. It used to be one thing. Now WTA TV is one of the worst platforms, you can’t even find it on a web search. Tennis TV is the coolest, they promote tennis very well. I would look towards promotion, there’s a huge potential. It feels like they don’t intentionally promote women’s tennis, and that’s very disappointing. If you look at the WTA’s TikTok, it was created in 2020 during the COVID-19, and the last video was published at that time. After all, the WTA has the platform, the fans, you just have to get this car up and running. What’s wrong with them? To be honest, I can’t answer that question,” Kasatkina said during a conversation with Elis Kostik, via The Tennis Letter.
Daria Kasatkina says WTA TV is one of the worst platforms & WTA doesn’t intentionally promote women’s tennis:
“I wouldn’t separate WTA from TennisTV. It used to be one thing. Now WTA TV is one of the worst platforms, you can’t even find it on a web search. TennisTV is the… pic.twitter.com/Lpa3egX8Ij
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 26, 2023
Kasatkina is not the first who thinks that the WTA could do a much better job of promoting its product as Maria Sharapova also criticized the WTA in that aspect in October.
“You had Coco Gauff just winning her first Major at the US Open in New York City. I mean the crowd, the bridging culture, sport, fashion, all in that moment. Two weeks later, three weeks later… How many people know that she’s playing a tournament [China Open] in Beijing. She got to the semifinals and lost but I’m sure 99 percent of the audience at the US Open had no idea where she was playing next. Right away that’s off the bat, that’s a problem,” Sharapova said on Bloomberg.