FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

NBC AND NBCSN TO PRESENT UP TO 21 HOURS OF 2013 AMERICA’S CUP FINALS

 

Defending America’s Cup Champion ORACLE TEAM USA vs. 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup Winner Emirates Team New Zealand

 

Live Coverage Begins Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on NBC with Races 1 and 2

 

Races 3 and 4 on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on NBC

 

Stamford, Conn. – September 5, 2013 — NBC Sports Group will present up to 21 hours of the 2013 America’s Cup Finals, from San Francisco, Calif. Live coverage begins Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and continues through the month of September on NBC and NBCSN.

The 2013 America’s Cup Finals will feature defending America’s Cup champion ORACLE TEAM USA against 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup winner Emirates Team New Zealand. NBC Sports’ coverage on Saturday will feature live coverage of Race 1 and Race 2. Coverage continues on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET with Race 3 and Race 4 on NBC, September 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET with Race 5 and Race 6 on NBCSN, September 12 at 3:30 p.m. ET with Race 7 and Race 8 on NBCSN, and September 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Race 9 and, if necessary, Race 10. Additional telecasts are scheduled for September 15, 17, 19 and 21 should further races be necessary.

Veteran announcer Todd Harris will serve as the play-by-play commentator for the NBC and NBCSN telecasts. Harris will be joined by former America’s Cup Helmsman and Volvo Ocean Race skipper Ken Read, as well as renowned sailor and author Gary Jobson.

PRODUCTION

To change the way people understand the sport of sailing, event organizers have made a significant investment in the production of next-generation broadcast images, anchored by onboard agile HD cameras and 13 microphones on each boat.

The backbone of this new visual experience is also a breakthrough in sports broadcasting – augmented reality from a helicopter called AC LiveLine. Created by the same Emmy award-winning team that developed the yellow first-down line widely used in the broadcast of football, this revolutionary graphics system enables embedded technical aids for viewers, such as ahead-behind lines so audiences can clearly see who is leading the race.

AC LiveLine won an Emmy Award for technical achievement in 2012. In addition, the live broadcasts of America’s Cup class racing were nominated for the 2013 Emmy Awards and 2012 Royal Television Society Awards.

COMCAST SPORTSNET CALIFORNIA

NBC Sports Group’s regional sports network Comcast SportsNet California will provide additional local coverage that surrounds the America’s Cup Finals.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets, will stream all 2013 America’s Cup Finals races televised on NBC and NBCSN. All NBCSN telecasts will be live streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

 

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Races airing on:

  • NBC will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra;
  • NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

America’s Cup Television Schedule:

Date Event Network Time
September 7 America’s Cup Finals – Races 1&2 NBC 4-6 p.m.
September 8 America’s Cup Finals – Races 3&4 NBC 4-6 p.m.
September 10 America’s Cup Finals – Races 5&6 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 12 America’s Cup Finals – Races 7&8 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 14 America’s Cup Finals – Races 9&10 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 15* America’s Cup Finals – Races 11&12 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 17* America’s Cup Finals – Races 13&14 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 19* America’s Cup Finals – Races 15&16 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 21* America’s Cup Finals – Race 17 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.

*Denotes if necessary (All times ET, schedule subject to change.)

AMERICA’S CUP BY THE NUMBERS

131-Height of each boat’s mast in feet

72- Length of each boat in feet

50-Top speed of the boats in mph

33-Previous America’s Cup Champions

23-Cameras used to broadcast and telecast the event

21-Potential hours of America’s Cup coverage on NBC and NBCSN 

13-Microphones on each boat

11-Distance of the course in nautical miles

3-NBCSN on air team of Todd Harris, Ken Read and Gary Jobson

2- Helicopters used to produce AC LiveLine graphics