EBU picks up media rights to America Cup for 39 markets

The European Broadcasting Union has acquired the media rights of the 37th edition of the sailing’s blue-riband event, America’s Cup, in 39 territories

The agreement includes media rights to the Challenger Selection Series, America’s Cup Match, the Women’s America’s Cup and Youth America’s Cup.

The race gets underway in September and October 2024 in Barcelona, Spain, with the first of three preliminary regattas to be held in Vilanova, Spain from 14 to 19 September 2023.

The deal secures rights for Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Coverage includes highlights of the event and news access rights to all events in all territories, as well as live rights in selected markets.

EBU members’ audiences will also have access to innovative digital enhancements to the coverage, as an extension of the union’s two-year partnership with the America Cup, to achieve the enduring objective of making sailing accessible to as many fans as possible.

Stephen Nuttall, head of TV for AC37, said: “The European Broadcasting Union and its Members offer a wide range of platforms, with a reach that is second to none, so with the 37th America’s Cup based in Europe, partnering with the EBU is a natural choice.”

He added, “the EBU always places a particular focus on the world’s number one event in each sport, consequently, America’s Cup is the obvious focus in sailing for them. Collectively, we have developed a flexible media rights agreement which meets the different needs of our objectives.