US Trends

how to watch the french open

You can watch the French Open (Roland‑Garros) through a mix of free national broadcasters and paid sports/streaming platforms, depending on where you live, plus official coverage listed by the tournament itself.

Key ways to watch

  • Official broadcasters list
    The Roland‑Garros site maintains an updated list of TV and streaming partners by country, covering every match from qualifying to finals. This is the most reliable place to check who has rights where you live.
  • Free streaming options (geo‑restricted)
    Several national channels stream large parts of the tournament for free but only in their own countries, including France.TV (France), 9Now (Australia), RTBF (Belgium), ServusTV (Austria), and SRF (Switzerland). These usually require a free account and local internet access.
  • Pay TV and sports streamers
    In many regions, Roland‑Garros is on sports networks like Eurosport (wider Europe), beIN Sports or Canal+ (parts of Africa, Asia, Middle East), ESPN (Latin America), and others, often packaged inside streaming apps such as Discovery+ or Eurosport Player. These services typically offer multi‑court HD coverage and replays.

Common options by region (high‑level)

Exact details can shift slightly year to year, but the structure stays similar.

  • Europe (outside France)
    • Linear TV: Eurosport channels.
* Streaming: Discovery+ / Eurosport Player, often with multi‑court feeds and on‑demand replays.
  • France and nearby territories
    • Free: France.TV for extensive live coverage, including qualifying.
* Subscription: Prime Video (France) shows all night sessions on Philippe‑Chatrier and shares rights to key semi‑finals and finals.
  • United States
    • TV/streaming rights have recently been shared between NBC and Tennis Channel, with access through bundles like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, Peacock, and Sling (package dependent).
* Some years also involve TNT Sports/Max‑type deals starting from the mid‑2020s, so it’s important to check the official broadcaster list or your preferred live‑TV app each season.
  • Canada
    • RDS has carried coverage with French commentary, sometimes paired with other national networks.
  • Latin America & Brazil
    • ESPN and its associated streaming platforms (like Star+ where available) often hold rights.
  • Africa / Middle East / parts of Asia
    • Networks like beIN Sports, SuperSport, and Canal+ typically carry Roland‑Garros in these regions, with streaming access through each provider’s app.
  • India and some other Asian markets
    • Rights have included Sony‑branded sports channels with streaming via Sony LIV in India.

Because rights contracts get renewed, the safest move each spring is to double‑check both the official Roland‑Garros broadcaster page and your local sports platform’s event schedule.

Watching online step‑by‑step (generic)

  1. Check who owns the rights in your country.
    • Go to the Roland‑Garros broadcasters page and select your region.
  1. Pick between free and paid.
    • If you have a free national broadcaster (for example France.TV or 9Now in their home countries), create a free account and use their website/app.
 * If coverage is behind a paywall, choose a sports streamer or live‑TV bundle that includes your country’s rights‑holder.
  1. Set up your app or device.
    • Install the broadcaster’s official app on your TV, phone, or streaming stick and sign in.
 * Look for a “Roland‑Garros” or “French Open” hub for live courts, condensed matches, and highlights.
  1. Mind time zones and session formats.
    • Roland‑Garros runs day and night sessions in Paris time, with some platforms offering separate feeds for each court and others only showing feature courts.

About VPNs and location issues

Many “how to watch the French Open” guides highlight VPNs as a way to access foreign free streams like 9Now or European public channels from abroad. However:

  • Using a VPN to bypass region locks can violate streaming services’ terms of use, and VPN legality and rules vary by country.
  • Streams may block known VPN IP ranges, so it’s not a guaranteed solution and may stop working at any time.

If you consider this route, you should carefully review your local laws and the platform’s terms, and be aware that some sites explicitly discourage this practice.

Forum and trending chatter

On tech and sports forums, recurring themes around “how to watch the French Open” include:

  • Viewers hunting for free English‑language streams like 9Now or certain European broadcasters.
  • Confusion when broadcast rights shift between big media groups, leading users to swap tips each year on which app (Discovery+, Max‑style services, or live‑TV bundles) actually has all the courts.
  • Debates about whether multi‑court coverage and on‑demand replays justify paying for premium sports subscriptions versus sticking to highlight packages on free platforms.

These discussions often resurface in late May each year as fans prepare for the clay‑court swing and want a reliable setup for two weeks of tennis.

Practical tips before the tournament starts

  • Test your stream with another live event on the same platform to check for buffering or device issues in advance.
  • If your platform offers multi‑court coverage, bookmark your favorite players’ likely courts to switch quickly between matches.
  • Keep an eye on small schedule changes caused by weather (rain delays are common on clay), as start times and channel assignments can shift during the day.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.

To point you to the most accurate option, which country or region will you be watching from?