FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 13th, 2013

NBCSN TO PRESENT CONTINUING COVERAGE OF 2013 AMERICA’S CUP FINALS

Emirates Team New Zealand Leads 6-0 Over ORACLE TEAM USA  

Live Coverage Continues Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Races 8 and 9

Races 10 and 11 Live on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

 

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 13, 2013 – NBC Sports Group’s live presentation of the 2013 America’s Cup Finals, from San Francisco, Calif., continues tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET and through the weekend on NBCSN. Saturday’s live coverage will feature defending America’s Cup champion ORACLE TEAM USA against 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup winner Emirates Team New Zealand in Races 8 and 9 of the Finals.

Emirates Team New Zealand won Races 6 and 7 on Thursday, to take a 6-0 lead in the regatta.  The team needs three more victories to win the oldest trophy in international sports, while ORACLE TEAM USA needs to win 10 more races in order to retain the America’s Cup.*

Coverage on Sunday will feature Race 10 of the Finals. If necessary, Race 11 will immediately follow Race 10. Should further races be necessary, additional telecasts are scheduled for September 17, 19 and 21.

Veteran announcer Todd Harris will serve as the play-by-play commentator for the 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 American 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 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 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 14 America’s Cup Finals – Races 8&9 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 15 America’s Cup Finals – Races 10&11* NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 17* America’s Cup Finals – Races 12&13 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 19* America’s Cup Finals – Races 14&15 NBCSN 3:30-6 p.m.
September 21* America’s Cup Finals – Races 16&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 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

 

*Both teams are required to win 9 points to win the America’s Cup. ORACLE TEAM USA must win 11 races, due to a penalty handed down by the international jury which sees the team score no points for its first two wins.

ORACLE TEAM USA used its one postponement card of the regatta following Race 5, on Tuesday afternoon.

– NBC Sports Group –