FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 7th, 2016

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS LIVE COVERAGE OF LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES, MAY 7 – 8 FROM NEW YORK CITY

America’s Cup Racing Returns to New York for First Time in 96 Years

More Than Four Hours of Coverage on NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra

NBCSN to Televise Races on Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m. ET

NBC Sports Live Extra to Present Coverage on Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m. ET

Stamford, Conn. – April 7, 2016 – NBC Sports Group will continue its coverage of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, one month from today, when America’s Cup racing returns to New York for the first time since 1920. NBC Sports Group’s more than four hours of coverage begins Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs. Coverage continues Sunday, May 8, at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. On Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. ET, NBC will broadcast a one-hour highlight show featuring racing from the entire weekend of events in New York.

Viewers in Manhattan and the surrounding area can view local television coverage on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on SNY, a regional sports network in New York that is part of the NBC Sports Group family.

Featuring the best sailors in the world, six crews from six countries are competing in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, including defending America’s Cup champion ORACLE TEAM USA (USA), Artemis Racing (Sweden), Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand), Groupama Team France (France), Land Rover BAR (Great Britain), and SoftBank Team Japan (Japan). All teams are competing in foiling, wingsailed catamarans – an updated version of the AC45 multihull boats raced in the previous iteration of the series.

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series is the primary stage of the America’s Cup, and began in the summer of 2015 with events in Portsmouth, Great Britain; Gothenburg, Sweden and Hamilton, Bermuda. Overall ranking position in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series determines the starting points score of the teams competing in the America’s Cup Qualifiers in 2017. 

America’s Cup racing was last held in New York harbor 96 years ago, when the 13th challenge for the America’s Cup took place on the Hudson River in 1920. America’s Cup racing took place off New York City from 1870 through 1920. Beginning in 1930, the competition was moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where it remained until the United States lost the Cup in 1983.

All 2016 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series races in New York will take place on the lower Hudson River, off Battery Park City in Manhattan.

Todd Harris will handle play-by-play for all America’s Cup World Series coverage from New York, and will be joined by analyst and former America’s Cup sailor Ken Read.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S AMERICA’S CUP COVERAGE

NBC Sports Group is the exclusive U.S. television partner of the America’s Cup. In 2016-17, NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra will combine to provide more than 35 hours of coverage of the America’s Cup Finals, America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs and Qualifiers, and America’s Cup World Series. In addition to the 2017 America’s Cup Finals, and Challenger Playoffs, NBCSN will present coverage of specific America’s Cup World Series events, which will determine seeding for the 2017 America’s Cup Qualifiers. Once determined, the winning team of the Challenger Playoffs will then race against defending America’s Cup winner ORACLE TEAM USA in the 2017 America’s Cup Finals.

NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 2017 America’s Cup marks the second consecutive presentation of the event on NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. NBC Sports Group previously served as the U.S. television home of the 2013 America’s Cup, in which ORACLE TEAM USA staged a dramatic comeback, winning eight consecutive races to defeat Emirates Team New Zealand, 9-8.

– NBC Sports Group –