Tennis Channel is an American sports network owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, launched on May 15, 2003, and dedicated to tennis alongside other racquet sports like pickleball and badminton. It was founded in 2001 by Steve Bellamy in his backyard shed, with backing from a group of investors including the "Viacom Mafia" (such as Philippe Dauman) and tennis legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, who collectively invested about $100 million. The network gained prominence by outbidding ESPN for the cable rights to the French Open in 2006 and later splitting US Open rights with ESPN in 2009, though it sold its own Tennis Channel Open event back to the ATP in 2008. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the channel has expanded its offerings with digital services like Tennis Channel Everywhere (2013) and the direct-to-consumer Tennis Channel Plus (2014). As of November 2023, it reaches approximately 38 million pay-TV households in the US, a significant decline from its 2019 peak of 63 million.