Agree 100%. I questioned them on their coverage intent on numerous of their FB posts, to no avail. The move to Bermuda was bad for the U.S., but the coverage, so far, is like they are trying to piss off their North American viewers...and it's working. This (AC45) is supposed to be the bait, and their screwing it up.

Did you notice that the Tuesday night recap has been dropped from NBC-SN? There is some generic ACWS show scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 a.m. Yes, that's AM, middle of the night!

there has to be some sort of behind the scenes contract drama that has lead to this.

Now that is the first thing I've read here that makes any sense. None of them care about us or building an audience at this point. ACEA simply values their product differently than the media outlets, plain and simple.

Mike

Reading back on the press releases with the light of the current situation shining on it, I wonder if the joint venture that took place with a nod toward the other "very desirable sponsors" failed to realize the "very desirable sponsors" so NBC ends up with all the rights and no funding to do anything with them. I'm seriously spit-balling here but suppose NBC didn't get what they had expected in return but still held the rights. The AC would either have to refund them somehow (which would look terrible even if they had the budget to do it) or the AC would have to somehow live with the fact that they can't publicly broadcast anything within the US...one might, say, develop a pay-per-view mobile app that is probably priced just to try and recoup its development costs or charges just enough that it doesn't infringe on the previously mentioned rights. This might also help to explain why the computer app was curiously blocked from receiving the broadcast in the last round if it had something to do with overlapping with those NBC rights....it's about the only thing that I can see making sense. Clearly NBC's business model for broadcasting the cup included external factors based on the following detail in the press release from February.

Strange thing is that the website broadcast incl replays aren't available anywhere, including countries which have no broadcast agreement with the AC.
I am surprised there has not been any kind of statement regarding the poor coverage since every FB post is full of complaints.

I agree with everyone else, what is happening is simply a shame.

The opportunities lost are immeasurable. Being from New England, I'm a lifetime AC fan, and when they went to Multi-hulls for the 34th Cup I was all in. I had just decided to get into sailing the year before when I bought my first Hobie 16. I made my vacation plans so I could go to the ACWS in Newport and was there to watch from the fort the entire weekend. What I thought was great, was the Demonstration event that the F18 boats put on in front of the crowed both days. It was great to watch them go at it and warm up the crowd. I could not wait to get racing myself!!!

When I found out the US Multi-Hull Championship for the Alter Trophy was going to be raced on Hobie 16s and in front of the AC Crowd in San Fransisco, I was going no matter what. What an opportunity of a lifetime.

Few will ever have this experience:



After the 34th was over I was excited for what could be next, only to be disappointed time and again. What a shame it is that the 35th cup is not even in the US, and not being used as a springboard to get more Americans into sailing.

Then to find out you cold not even watch the ACWS live, inconceivable.

Okay, someone set up a crowd-funding account to send Jake and a couple of drones to Bermuda and he can live-stream the races for us.

To put this in context, our US Formula 18 National Championship has had significantly better publicly available coverage than what we can get from the ACWS.

sure, but Louis Vitton did not sponsor the US Formula 18 Nationals...

Did anyone ask them to?

We need to do a better job of getting this type of stuff out there. My "coverage" here during this year's Alter Cup was at least timely, which blew away US Sailing's coverage, at least using that metric.

But, we've been doing web coverage very well for a very long time. Unfortunately, so far below the radar that no one outside of our universe knows about it, or believes that it's possible.

Maybe a big-ticket sponsor wouldn't be so hard to land if we approach (and value) it differently?

Mike

What would you posit as the return for that large investment? An audience of??? spending how much on said products?

Personally, I think LV has accepted their business model as successful. There's no way the commonfolk could afford that product, so why the heck should LV care about the unwashed masses getting entertained?

If Bermuda sells out and the VIP tent is stacked with Ritchy Rich folk, then LV wins.

So, events that target a lower socioeconomic audience probably need to go after 3M or whomever makes duct tape.

Did anyone see the NBC-SN recap that was originally scheduled for Tuesday night at ten, then switched to Saturday at 1:00 am?

In the Tampa Verizon market it showed on their schedule on Friday but never played on Saturday in the wee hours. Did anyone see a Gothenburg recap? Has NBC dropped the ACWC altogether?

The YouTube from Gothenburg is awful.

Yes Dave, thanks to your info about the time change from Tuesday to Sat. I was able to record the recap @ 1 am Sat morning Verizon. Still have it on the VCR but wouldn't know how to get it to you. It was pretty good with the highlights around each mark and some interactions between marks. The first couple of races had a better wind and were exciting on the foils. Had trouble with the penalty on Oracle at the start didn't look like one to me.

I got to see it, I watched it - it was terrible. It was so chopped up the second some drama started to develop in the fleet (usually what they WEREN'T talking about) it cut to the end of the race or something. Also, it wasn't even available in HD. It was very dumbed and watered down and not worth watching.

They never even bothered to explain what the penalties were for both New Zealand and Oracle during that start. I didn't see anything obvious on part of either team. Bah..

Oracle prepares for two-boat testing

And some more of this. Legal

...because, really, what fun would the AC be without more of this???

That article does prove what I've observed for years. There's little to no money (at any level) in race management, but judges are treated quite well.

Mike

If you can't watch it on TV then head to Chicago.

"Chicago made maritime history today with Lake Michigan chosen as the first freshwater venue to host America’s Cup racing in the event’s 164-year history.

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Chicago, a qualifying event for the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda, will take place at Navy Pier from June 10 – 12."

More here.