Key takeaways
-The ATP’s revamped content strategy is built on platform-native storytelling, tapping TikTok, Overtime, and Spotify to meet younger fans where they are.
-By showcasing tennis through creators, behind-the-scenes moments, and short-form content, the ATP can deepen discovery and pull new fans into the funnel.
-AI-powered content technology is becoming essential to maintain an always-on presence, amplify every story from the tour, and fuel continuous engagement.
The most-watched TikTok video from the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals in November, with 3.3 million views, is a clip of Carlos Alcaraz accepting the year-end "number 1" trophy, as his proud father captures the moment on his phone. The second most-watched clip from the season-ending championship, with 1.2 million views, does not involve a tennis star. It stars Luca Campolunghi, an Italian digital creator known for his comedy, fun challenges, and lifestyle content.
Campolunghi wasn't there by chance. He was invited to the season finale in Turin for the debut of the Tennis Creator Network, which brings together a selection of dynamic creators as part of a new partnership between the ATP and TikTok. The collaboration will also focus on player engagement, helping more ATP athletes build a presence on TikTok to give fans exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the sport.
The partnership with TikTok builds on ATP’s work with Overtime, a youth-focused media brand whose social media accounts boast over 100 million followers. In the last few months, Overtime has been producing short-form tennis content, which has generated over 60 million views — indicating the ATP’s revamped digital and content strategy is working.
Modernizing tennis content for younger audiences
“This is about growing our audience, and in particular, targeting men’s tennis fans who might not be following the ATP week in and week out, more kind of dipping in and out around the Grand Slams,” said Andrew Walker, Senior Vice President of Brand and Marketing at the ATP. “So it’s bringing those fans — Gen Z and Millennials primarily — into the ATP funnel, by finding ways to create cool content and serve it on platforms and channels on which they’re already living.”
Reaching young fans has been a top priority for the ATP in recent years. After a 2016 Nielsen study found that men's tennis' TV audience is the second-oldest in pro sports, the ATP tested and ultimately adopted multiple new rules — for instance, instituting a 25-seconds serve clock and allowing coaching during matches — meant to speed up the game and appeal to the next generation of sports fans.
Over the past year, the ATP's efforts to engage younger audiences have increased. A global marketing campaign, titled “It all adds up,” and an evolved logo were launched. And, following fan and brand research commissioned last year, which revealed that the tour's footprint on the apps and in the digital spaces that millennial and Gen Z tennis fans inhabit wasn't big enough, the ATP initiated a series of content partnerships to build deeper connections with fans.
Next-level distribution through new partners
Teaming up with Overtime and TikTok was just the beginning. In early November, the ATP and Spotify announced a global collaboration to bring fans closer to the sport. As part of the collaboration, the ATP will distribute original tennis programming on Spotify, which is seeing a rise in sports video content consumption. One of the first projects will be a behind-the-scenes documentary on the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals, set to debut before the end of the year.
The deal appears to be a win-win for both parties. “Put simply: ATP gets distribution and discovery; Spotify gets premium sports narratives to fuel a fast-growing format," explained Carlo De Marchis, a C-suite executive with 35+ years in sports & media tech. "The bet is that Spotify’s recommendation engine can convert music-first users into sports-story watchers — and that the 'lean-back' nature of video podcasts fits tennis’ global, tour-based cadence.”
The tour’s global coverage was also enhanced. A multi-year strategic partnership between ATP Media, the broadcast and media arm of the tour, and Japanese technology conglomerate Sony will elevate the fan experience through augmented reality and data-driven storytelling. In addition, Sony will assist in redesigning Tennis TV, the ATP's official streaming service, including launching a new Tennis TV mobile app in early 2026.
Scaling engagement through smart technology
The ATP’s digital evolution shows how quickly rights holders can expand their reach when they meet young fans (through creators, behind-the-scenes access, and platform-specific storytelling) where they are. This shift works only when organizations build a real-time content engine that fuels every platform with a steady stream of short-form content, something that’s impossible to sustain manually.
That’s where the right technology becomes transformative. AI-powered content creation platforms can automatically generate multi-format clips, tailor narratives to different audiences, and distribute them across every digital touchpoint, turning a single moment into hundreds of personalized stories. The result, as the ATP proved, is a digital presence that stays active long after match point.
Actionable Insights
-Build creator-led content pipelines: collaborate with personality-driven storytellers who can translate your sport’s moments into platform-native formats that resonate with younger audiences.
-Distribute programming where discovery already happens: expand beyond traditional channels by experimenting with video podcasts, behind-the-scenes series, and platform-specific content.
-Use AI to maintain an always-on presence: adopt content tools to automatically clip matches, localize stories, and generate multi-format assets at scale.
