Warner Bros. Discovery is expanding the scale of its coverage and the level of customisation it can bring to Roland-Garros, as the broadcaster looks to build on last year’s inaugural coverage of the French Open.

As well as enhanced camera positions developed in collaboration with the French Tennis Federation (FFT), WBD will also be delivering its first tennis Grand Slam with a full production workflow in 1080p HDR.

TNT Sports will again provide coverage across TNT, truTV and HBO Max for the 2026 tournament, with more than 300 hours of televised coverage and more than 900 matches available live and on demand via HBO Max, including qualifying matches during opening week.

Chris Brown, Warner Bros. Discovery’s VP of Technology and Operations, said the broadcaster’s overall approach remains consistent with its 2025 coverage of Roland-Garros, albeit with new production elements and an expansion to its studio programming.

“We’re essentially building upon the foundation created last year with a few new twists to the format,” Brown said.

TNT will continue to focus on marquee matches and studio programming, while truTV’s Rally at Roland-Garros serves as a whip around show moving between courts throughout the day.

The Mac Zone (pictured, above), fronted by John and Patrick McEnroe, also returns with a dedicated studio and a two-hour daily programme during the tournament’s opening rounds.

Brown said one of the main operational focuses this year has been working more closely with the FFT to improve camera access and allow TNT Sports to create a more distinct presentation on the main show courts.

“This year, one of the exciting things for TNT is that we’ve continued working with the FFT on improving camera locations that allow us to customise the host feed and create a unique TNT feel for the main broadcasts,” Brown said.

The broadcaster has concentrated those efforts primarily on Philippe-Chatrier and Suzanne-Lenglen, with additional investment on Simonne-Mathieu. Brown said TNT Sports has added its own match-coverage camera adjacent to the host broadcaster’s main camera position, giving its director greater control over coverage plans.

Additional enhancements include more super slow-motion cameras, EVS ExtraMotion replay systems and five 4K pan-and-scan replay cameras. At Philippe-Chatrier, TNT Sports is also deploying three robotic cameras mounted on the umpire’s chair, including two Nucleus cameras and a Proton camera positioned beneath the top step.

Brown said the operation also continues to rely heavily on remote camera workflows, with operators controlling several cameras from inside the broadcast compound rather than physically occupying positions around the court.

“We’re operating seven cameras like that across Simonne-Mathieu, Lenglen, and Chatrier,” he said.

Beyond the primary TNT coverage, Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing to expand its multi-court and streaming workflows for HBO Max, Rally at Roland-Garros and The Mac Zone.

Brown said all courts are now automatically scored through systems developed with graphics and data integration partner SMT, using chair umpire tablet data to drive score graphics and automation.

This year, the broadcaster has also introduced replay-triggered graphics workflows that temporarily remove scorebugs during replays before restoring them automatically afterwards.

The broadcaster has also built three production galleries in Paris, with resources shared across TNT, Rally at Roland-Garros and The Mac Zone productions.

“All the resources are shared between them,” Brown said.

“So if Mac Zone wants to fully cover a match because it suddenly becomes compelling, even if TNT isn’t taking it, they can do a fully customised production.”

All live production operations are based in Paris, with integration and final distribution workflows managed through Atlanta. Editing for highlights, features and studio elements is split between Paris and Atlanta.

Brown also confirmed that Roland-Garros marks Warner Bros. Discovery’s first tennis Grand Slam production in 1080p HDR, building on the 1080p HDR production of the NCAA Men’s Final Four in April.

“This is the first year we’re producing everything in 1080p HDR,” Brown said. “That applies across all telecasts and everything going to HBO Max.”

According to Brown, the HDR transition has been underway since December and forms part of a broader company-wide migration that will conclude in June. Roland-Garros follows earlier HDR deployments around NCAA Final Four coverage.

Speaking generally about Roland-Garros and reflecting on the differences between the first and second years of the partnership, Brown said the production team now has a clearer understanding of how it wants to present the tournament.

“Last year we went in with a good idea of what we wanted to achieve, but the most important thing was simply capturing the event and retelling the story,” he said. 

“This year, we’ve gone beyond just capturing the event. Now we’re trying to capture it in a way we feel it hasn’t been done before.”

Operational team

Production Manager: Luca Baglioni

Production Coordinator: Kelsey Odle

Sr. Crewing Manager: Joyce Atkinson

Crewing Coordinator: Sharon Roper

Sr. Tech Ops Manager: Mark Hershner

Remote Engineering Manager: Josh Wiggins

Coordinating Director: John Tackett

 Key Vendor: Gravity Media