FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 9th, 2016

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS COVERAGE OF LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM CHICAGO

Coverage Begins Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app

Three Hours of Coverage on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app

NBC to Broadcast One-Hour Highlight Show on Sunday, June 19 at 1:30 p.m. ET

Stamford, Conn. – June 9, 2016 – NBC Sports Group’s continuing coverage of the America’s Cup continues this weekend with the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series from Chicago, Ill. NBC Sports Group’s four hours of coverage begins Saturday, June 11, at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs. Coverage continues Sunday, June 12, at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app. On Sunday, June 19, at 1:30 p.m. ET, NBC will broadcast a one-hour highlight show featuring racing from the entire weekend of events in Chicago.

Viewers in Chicago and the surrounding area can view encore coverage of the America’s Cup World Series on Sunday, June 19, at Noon CT on CSN Chicago, NBC Sports Group’s regional sports network in Chicago.

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), current race frontrunner Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand), Artemis Racing (Sweden), 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. The teams most recently faced each other in New York, where skipper Glenn Ashby and Emirates Team New Zealand staged a dramatic come-from-behind win to defeat SoftBank Team Japan.

All 2016 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series races in Chicago will take place on Lake Michigan. The regatta in Chicago will mark the first time America’s Cup racing will be staged on fresh water.

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

LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES STANDINGS

POSITION  TEAM COUNTRY  TOTAL POINTS 
1. Emirates Team New Zealand NZL 244
2. ORACLE TEAM USA USA 236
3. Land Rover BAR GBR 227
4. SoftBank Team Japan JPN 203
5. Artemis Racing SWE 201
6. Groupama Team France FRA 194

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 the NBC Sports app 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 the NBC Sports app. 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 –