Kei Nishikori's historic run at the Australian Open generated a torrent of publicity for his sponsor, Fast Retailing Co., but Sony Corp. and Adidas AG both missed out after declining to renew endorsement deals with Japan's top tennis player.
NHK purchased the rights to air Nishikori's Australian Open quarterfinals match Wednesday against British No. 4 seed Andy Murray, which an estimated 55 million viewers tuned into.
The 22-year-old became the first Japanese player in 80 years to reach the $12 million tournament's final eight, and is the highest-ranked Japanese men's tennis player on record.