SailGP continues to expand its broadcast offering in Australia, announcing it has secured a new free-to-air partnership with the Seven Network for the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney.
Next month, more Australian viewers than ever can enjoy the on-water action of the league’s Sydney event on February 18-19, with the broadcast available live on both Fox Sports, Kayo Freebies and now, the Seven Network.
The new partnership provides Seven with the right to broadcast the Sydney event live and free. The 90-minute live broadcast will be aired on 7mate from 16:00 to 17:30 AEDT on both days of racing, as Tom Slingsby’s Australia SailGP Team chase a third straight season title.
In addition, Seven’s broadcast video-on-demand platform 7plus will 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.
Fans will be able to watch the rivalry unfold between the Aussies and Peter Burling’s New Zealand team who are looking like Slingsby’s main competitor for the season and the most likely to topple his crown.
SailGP’s global broadcast and digital audience continues to experience exceptional growth. At the close of Season 2, the league’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 as highlights of the Range Rover France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez was watched by over 1.6 million people.
Slingsby, Australia SailGP driver and CEO, 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.”
This live free-to-air broadcast partnership with Seven for the Australian event and highlights programs is in addition to 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.
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, 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.”
The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix I Sydney is proudly supported by KPMG, the New South Wales Government through Destination New South Wales, Genesis, Place Management NSW and Skyy Vodka.
