Global racing league SailGP has secured a new free-to-air partnership with the Seven Network for the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix I Sydney.
The league’s Sydney event will take place on February 18-19, with the broadcast available live on both Fox Sports and Kayo Freebies and now, the Seven Network.
The partnership provides Seven with the right to broadcast the Sydney event live and free with the 90-minute broadcast aired on 7mate from 16:00 to 17:30 AEDT on both days of racing.
Broadcast video-on-demand platform 7plus will also show all season highlights to date plus the final three events of the season – including the Grand Final in San Francisco, 6-7 May 2023.
The live free-to-air broadcast partnership with Seven for the Australian event and highlights programs does not impact SailGP’s ongoing partnership with Fox Sports. All Season 3 SailGP events will continue to be broadcast live across Fox Sports and Kayo Freebies. SailGP’s docu-series Racing on the Edge will also be available on Fox Sport, Kayo Freebies and 7plus.
Australia SailGP driver and CEO Tom Slingsby said: “It’s a huge achievement that in just its third season SailGP is forging partnerships with some of the biggest global names in sports broadcasting.
“Sydney was the destination for the first ever SailGP in February 2019 and this February’s event will mark the fourth time SailGP has been staged on iconic Sydney Harbour. This latest partnership with Seven highlights the significant commercial growth of SailGP in the Asia Pacific region and the confidence our partners have in our league.”
The Seven Network partnership was facilitated by IMG, SailGP’s global agency for media rights, sponsorship and host venue rights. IMG is part of Endeavor, a strategic investor in SailGP.
Dale Levin, senior vice president and co-head of media for APAC at IMG, said: “The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix I Sydney is fast becoming one of the most exciting events in the calendar and this latest deal with Seven Network shows the enormous appeal that the sport has for fans.
“We’re committed to finding new opportunities for fans to experience SailGP and help build the sport’s audience around the world.”
At the close of Season 2, SailGP’s dedicated broadcast audience was 41.2 million, representing a 131% increase on Season 1. SailGP also recently registered the highest U.S. broadcast figures for the sport in 30 years.
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