Global TV deal secured for $1m international sailing league SailGP

The new international sailing league SailGP, established by former America’s Cup champion Sir Russell Coutts and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, has signed with a British television production company to deliver the competition to a global market.

The three-year deal for worldwide broadcast sees SailGP partner with sports production company Whisper Films, which lists former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard and BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey as its founders.

Whisper Films has been commissioned to produce a wide range of content since its inception in 2010, and currently produces Football Association programming for the BBC, US Open Tennis for Amazon, and Paralympics coverage for Channel 4. It will broadcast live coverage of every SailGP event, with pre- and post-race analysis and highlights programmes.

Drones, 360-degree cameras and patented LiveLineFx technology will be used to deliver an ‘immersive, fan-centric’ broadcast experience. Coverage will then be distributed to broadcasters around the world.

Coutts, SailGP chief executive, said, “Whisper Films will help translate SailGP’s dramatic live spectacle into a broadcast product…for both seasoned sailing aficionados and new fans around the world.”

Sunil Patel, Whisper Film’s managing director, added, “Together, we believe we will fundamentally change the way sailing is broadcast, and the way fans connect with the athletes.”

The SailGP league, worth $1 million (approx. €868,000), will see crews from Australia, China, France, Japan, the UK and the US go head-to-head in five races across the world. Each grand prix will consist of two racing days with five fleet races, before the two leading teams are pitted together in a final match race.

The final event in Marseille will see the competition’s top two teams face off in a championship race to win the $1 million cash prize.

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