NORTH SAILS PRESIDENT KEN READ JOINS AMERICA’S CUP BROADCAST ALL STAR COMMENTARY LINE UP

Read is a veteran play-by-play expert commentator, having performed the same role in San Francisco and Bermuda. 

Racing for the 36th America’s Cup with four days of match racing during the PRADA America’s Cup World Series Auckland, New Zealand (Dec 17th- 19th) and the PRADA Christmas Race (Dec 20th).

It will be the only time that all the entrants for the 36th America’s Cup will race against each other and provide a unique opportunity for the teams to assess all their rivals’ strengths and weaknesses. Fans of the America’s Cup all around the world will be able to enjoy coverage via all forms of media on every screen. The primary objective is to make this the most viewed and accessible America’s Cup competition ever.

Set against the picturesque background of the Hauraki Gulf of Auckland, New Zealand, with a new title sponsor, PRADA, and in a dramatic new class of racing yacht, the AC75, the world’s best sailors will race to win the oldest trophy in international sport.

Each AC75 is equipped with ten cameras supplemented by chase boat, helicopter, and drone cameras. Coverage will include the world feed with commentary from Ken Read & Stephen McIvor together with Olympic gold medallists Shirley Robertson and Nathan Outteridge. In addition to the world feed, there will be two dedicated yacht channels and a data feed offered with expert sailing commentary.

Live, highlights and news coverage will be generally available free-to-air in English on www.americascup.com and all the usual official 36th America’s Cup social channels.

YouTube  Facebook  Instagram  Twitter

To ensure both the most accessible and most complete live and highlights coverage from broadcasters covering 195 territories, the 36th America’s Cup is delighted to announce a further range of partnerships with free-to-air and pay networks. View the full viewing details on americascup.com

MEET THE AC36 COMMENTATING TEAM

Ken re-joins the AC36 host broadcast commentary team, having performed the same role in San Francisco and Bermuda. Widely respected, Ken is an America’s Cup competitor, Round-the-world skipper, twice-named American Yachtsman of the year, maxi-yacht record holder, and has won 50 World, North American, and national championships in a variety of cases, with ten of those being World Championship titles.  Ken will work alongside Stephen based from the International Broadcast Center (IBC). 

Stephen will lead the play-by-play Race call ashore.  An experienced sportscaster, he has a wide variety of live sports credits, and will lead the AC36 commentary team for host broadcast, based from the IBC. 

Shirley is a double Olympic gold medallist, making it into the history books by becoming the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals at consecutive games. Named female World sailor of the Year in 2000, appointed an MBC in 2000 and OBE in 2005. She was the regular presenter of CNN Mainsail, which ran for a decade and a half. She will contribute as on-water live commentator during the live race coverage, and assist with other production roles, such as news and feature production. 

Nathan helmed Artemis Racing in the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco and the 2017 contest in Bermuda. He won gold in the 49er class in the 2012 London Olympics, and silver in Rio, 2016. He brings a rare commentary insight to the complexities of racing high performance, foiling yachts in the America’s Cup.