China’s Zheng Qinwen is currently taking part in the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for WTA)

Women's tennis’ season-ending 2024 WTA Finals – taking place in Saudi Arabia right now – are being shown on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Through a deal (unveiled over the weekend) between the WTA Ventures commercial wing and the China Media Group company behind CCTV, the elite event – with both singles and doubles competitions – is being covered by Chinese sports broadcaster CCTV-5.

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This marks the first edition of the WTA Finals to receive linear TV coverage in China since Peng Shuai, a prominent Chinese tennis player throughout the 2010s, disappeared in November 2021 following allegations of rape she made against a senior Chinese government member.

In the aftermath of her disappearance, the WTA suspended all its events in China (only to bring them back in mid-2023).

Since then, WTA Finals action has only been visible in China on various streaming platforms, such as Youku, although two lesser events earlier this year were shown by CCTV.

Now, however, with China’s Zheng Qinwen – the world number seven – taking part at the WTA Finals, this year held between November 2 and 9, CMG and CCTV have agreed a tie-up with the women's tour. All of her matches during the finals are being broadcast on CCTV-5 linear TV, with other matches and clips being covered on the range of CMG digital platforms.

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This includes the CMG Mobile app, the CCTV Sports app, and CCTV’s online site.

Marina Storti, WTA Ventures’ chief executive, has now said: “China is an important market for the global growth of tennis, and we are pleased to be working with CMG to bring our crown-jewel event to an even wider audience. I have no doubt that fans can look forward to some breathtaking action from the WTA’s top players.”

The WTA is staging its Finals in Saudi Arabia through a three-year deal struck back in April between the WTA and the Saudi Tennis Federation.

Through the agreement, Saudi Arabia will help the WTA to offer record prize money of $15.25 million for the 2024 edition of the event. This prize money total will be increased to even higher figures for the 2025 and 2026 editions.

Following that deal, the WTA sealed a partnership in May with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), through which the PIF became a global partner of the tour. Indeed, the fund is also now the WTA Finals' presenting sponsor.

The ongoing WTA Finals have so far seen Zheng Qinwen win one match and lose another, with the Chinese player set to take on Italy’s Jasmine Paolini tomorrow – whoever wins will progress to the semi-finals.