A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR THE ASB CLASSIC

This year’s ASB Classic in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland not only featured some of the world’s top tennis players, it also broke records across the board, with the premier tournament seeing unparalleled ticket sales, broadcast numbers, sponsorship sales and money raised for Youthline.

An impressive mix of both global stars and emerging talent provided world-class tennis, with the likes of Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Tennis super-couple Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina, and rising stars Arthur Fils, Felix Auger-Aliassime and the new US number one, Ben Shelton, competing.

The event once again brought significant economic benefit to its host region, resulting in 16,600 visitor nights to the region and injecting $3.4 million into the economy.

ASB Executive Manager Commercial Partnerships Mark Graham says: “Every year the ASB Classic attracts thousands of domestic and international visitors to the Auckland region and to New Zealand, to compete, support the players or simply enjoy the on-court action. This brings an important boost to local businesses, from hospitality to transport, to retail and other attractions, and a real buzz to the summer calendar.”

Ticket sales for the event were higher than ever before, up around 5% on the previous record set in 2020 and up 8% compared with 2023.

A series of initiatives, including the ball throwing competition Lobbo, saw Youthline, the official charity partner of the ASB Classic raise a significant $55,000, to continue its important work supporting young people in Aotearoa.

The 2024 event also marked a record number of partners, with the addition of Lexus, Aperol, Grey Goose, Gwen by Church Road, Go Media, Ryman and TAB.

Broadcast audiences were also the biggest on record, with an increase on both domestic reach and viewer hours for Sky NZ. The international broadcast saw a global audience of more than 12 million, with the top markets outside of New Zealand being the U.S.A, Latin America, Pan Asia and Serbia. Total hours of broadcast for both linear and digital was more than 3,000.

Tournament Director Nicolas Lamperin comments: “The results of the ASB Classic underline our commitment to continuously improve its reputation as a world-class tennis event which provides global exposure to Auckland and New Zealand as a whole. Not only does it deliver unparalleled economic impact, it also creates memorable experience for players and spectators alike and continue to inspire and positively impact the lives of the next generation of players.”

A series of initiatives, including the ball throwing competition Lobbo, allowed the ASB Classic to raise a significant $55,000 for Youthline to continue their support towards young people in Aotearoa.

The 2024 event also marked record sales for sponsorship, with the addition of Lexus, Aperol, Grey Goose, Gwen by Church Road, Go Media, Ryman and TAB.

The ASB Classic continued to serve its purpose to promote tennis within the community. This was highlighted in January through Coco Gauff’s visit to Te Atatu Tennis Club and through the wheelchair activation on Centre Court.

Looking ahead, next year’s ASB Classic is set to be bigger and better than ever, with player announcements and more information to follow in the coming months.

© Scoop Media