Let’s be honest — in some countries, “padel” still sounds like something you do in a canoe. And honestly? That’s fine. Every great sport starts with a bit of confusion before it takes off.
But padel isn’t exactly new. In Spain, Sweden and Denmark — countries where we already work — more than 90% of people know what it is. In the UK, we’re at about 36%. That’s not bad! It’s what I’d call “the sweet spot”: the moment right before the rocket takes off. And now, with the help of the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association, the federation for Tennis and Padel) and a growing padel community, we’re here to light the fuse.
Enter Padel-TV.
We’re a platform entirely dedicated to broadcasting the best of professional padel — live and on-demand — in proper, high-quality production. One subscription gives you access to everything we cover, no matter the country, no matter the tournament. From the World Padel League and Hexagon Cup, to the Scandinavian Tour, junior championships, America vs. Europe and now… UK tournaments.
Padel-TV mainly covers sanctioned, serious padel. Not because we don’t enjoy the occasional influencer match or random rooftop court in Dubai — but because real growth comes through real competition for points and ranking. That’s why we work directly with federations — national and international, because they are the ones who are actually building the sport.
And right now, the UK is building fast.
Together with the federation with whom we have entered a three-year-deal, we’re elevating the LTA British Padel Tour with full-scale multi-camera broadcasts, replays, real-time graphics, commentators, experts, and a proper studio. It’s going to look and feel like a sport that belongs in the big leagues — precisely because it does.
Even more exciting: the very first British National Championships are coming later this year. But before that our UK debut: a FIP Silver tournament in Bristol, April 11–13, hosted at Rocket Padel and organized by R3 Sports. We promise it’ll be the best-produced FIP Silver event in the world thus far. Britain’s best will take on international stars, battling for those precious FIP points right here in the UK. It is important to have the chance of obtaining those points on home-turf, in order to reach the goal of heading out on the world tour.
Come down and cheer live — or stream it all on Padel-TV with a Free Trial for the whole event, so you don’t miss a single lob, smash, or sneaky drop shot.
We’re also thrilled to partner with The Padel Directory, who are doing amazing work growing the community. And if you’re already convinced you want to follow British and global padel in broadcast quality, we’ve got an exclusive offer for you: 50% off our already discounted annual subscription. Yes that’s right: watch everything one year from now for only half price. https://www.padel-television.se/checkout?s=169&cta=%2F&voucher=TPD50
Now, a bit about me.
I’m Johannes Thomhave, and I’m the CEO of Padel-TV. I’m Swedish by birth, but I spent my early school years in Guildford, Surrey, so launching something in the UK feels like a kind of full-circle moment. I’ve played a lot of padel over the years — somewhere below elite level, though I’m quite the talent in choosing partners :)
A few years ago, I built two courts on my horse farm. I managed to convince Paquito Navarro and Juan Lebron to come christen them (back when they were playing together and became the first Spanish ever to reach world number one). I played alright… until they beat me and my partner 6-0 and taught me the correct etiquette: roll under the net and quietly walk away. I obliged.
These days, I’m a huge fan of women’s padel. Partly because the tactical, consistent, defense-first style padel of not missing is something I both relate to and appreciate more than all-out power and fast play. But also because we have a unique opportunity to build a modern equal sport from the start. Same visibility, same prize money, same respect — not years of the women playing catch-up like we see in so many other sports.
You’ll also see a lot of junior competitions on Padel-TV (starting with FIP Promises from Bristol). They might not draw the same viewership numbers as the big events, but I love watching the next generation — players who aren’t coming from tennis, but actually learning padel as their first sport. That’s the future of the sport.
And speaking of the future, here’s one of my biggest personal missions: globalizing padel — and not just geographically. Because here’s the thing: padel is still, in many ways, a Hispanic sport. And if we want it to grow into something truly global — Olympic-level global — we need to make one major change:
Everyone needs to start speaking English.
At the Hexagon Cup in Madrid — a brilliantly run event — we were the only outlet among 40 international media teams who insisted that players do interviews in English. (You can watch the results under “Interviews” on Padel-TV)
And you know what? It went pretty well! Except for a few… notable exceptions. (Yes, I’m looking at you again, Tapia and Lebron.)
Lebron once even told me he was going to learn English. Paquito leaned over and whispered:
“Lebron? Speak English? He cannot speak Spanish!”
That’s a summary of why we’re doing what we’re doing. Broadcasting great padel, helping British players rise and attract visibility so as to help professionalize the fastest growing sport, bringing the international tour to the UK, building community with TPD and their partners — and most importantly, making sure the world starts paying attention.
Padel is fun. It’s fast. It’s strategic. It’s wildly addictive. And it deserves to be done justice on screen. That’s what we’re here for.
So come to Bristol and experience padel live. Or tune in to Padel-TV and join the ride. Because padel in the UK? It’s just getting started.
