The Updated Tennis Channel Streaming Experience

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that the Tennis Channel had updated its streaming experience as a part of my weekly news roundup. The change was made with zero fanfare or announcement. In the intervening time, I expected to see advertisements or at least a press release extolling the virtues of the new Tennis Channel app, but there have been none. It is one of the strangest rollouts I have ever seen.

I primarily watch the Tennis Channel via Amazon Fire TV. However, I also occasionally view it using Apple platforms and IT computing devices. One of my complaints was the absolute instability of the feed when streaming live matches using Fire TV. It would freeze and/or crash every three or four games. Sometimes, advertised video feeds wouldn’t load at all.

I am happy to report that the stability issues seem to have been fully resolved in the new version. In the two weeks since the streaming service was updated, the video feeds of the matches I have elected to watch have been very stable. The time lag between the live match and the video stream is also significantly reduced. Those two changes alone create a much better customer experience than the previous product.

Additionally, the organization of how the matches are presented to the viewers has been overhauled. I found some complaints on internet forums over the disappearance of the grid cable TV-style “guide” listing, but I don’t personally miss it. It is replaced with a “Live” menu of the streams available for specific venues and courts. Unfortunately, that view doesn’t list the precise match that is going on at the time, making it less intuitive for the TV audience. However, it more closely resembles how fans experience tennis in person.

There has also been a significant update to how the matches are organized by tournament. One key change apparent for the French Open is that the Junior tournament is listed on a separate menu from the professional event. While I am probably likelier than most tennis fans to watch a junior match, it’s nice to see those only when I intentionally go looking for it.

While the Tennis Channel has always had a way to display matches by tournament, the navigation to that page is now significantly streamlined. For replays, the matches are grouped by day, which is nice when the rounds of the doubles draw vary significantly from the matches in progress for the singles. Searching for matches day by day is more convenient for me.

On the other hand, I struggled initially with that feature because the days were listed numerically rather than by date. The French Open numbering system includes qualifying for the tournament, so the first day of the main draw action on Sunday, May 26, was actually Day 7 rather than Day 1. This post was originally going to recommend that the date be included alongside the numerical day, but it appears that feedback has already been received and implemented. That suggests support for the new app will be significantly better than before.

The Tennis Channel doesn’t have an exclusive contract for the French Open this year. Matches are also carried on NBC Sports and Peacock. Another improvement in the interface is displaying upcoming or occurring matches on other platforms but grayed out with an indication that it is airing elsewhere. I missed significant portions of those matches in years past, not realizing they had already started on another channel.

Change is never easy, but the revamped Tennis Channel app is a significant improvement. The result is a much more intuitive and stable viewer experience. It has enhanced my enjoyment of watching matches on the platform. If you previously swore off tennis channel streaming or haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend giving it a look.