Production plans for 37th America’s Cup revealed including UHD HDR coverage
Louis Vuitton Cup, race day two broadcast TV gallery (credit: Ivo Rovira/America’s Cup)
A host of production innovations have been introduced for the 37th America’s Cup, including UHD HDR coverage and a new data and graphics offering to help explain the action to viewers.
Coverage of the sailing competition, which is taking place in Barcelona and will culminate in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Match starting on the 12 of October following a series of preliminary rounds which began 22 August, is being led by an in-house team and delivered by a new consortium of broadcast production companies.
“We’ll debut new, innovative graphics techniques in Barcelona, produced in UHD and tell all the stories of the Cup, so, wherever you are in the world, find the largest, most convenient screen possible and you’ll be in for a visual treat,” said Leon Sefton, director of production.
Some of the production innovations include filming in UHD HDR HLG 2020 and surround sound audio – both firsts for the America’s Cup – to bring viewers as close to the action as possible.
Up to 12 cameras per yacht plus helicopters and chase boats will capture the sailing action. And optical tracking technology delivers precise boat and camera location information to power graphics systems, providing viewers with live insights into racing.
WindSight IQ, which is described as “an innovative turnkey solution designed, built and operated through a partnership between America’s Cup Media and Capgemini, combining their expertise in technology, engineering, data and design”. WindSight IQ will feed the America’s Cup Media broadcast systems with real-time wind field visuals and AR/VR designs.
America’s Cup organisers said that for the first time ever, “Armchair Admirals at home will know more about the course conditions than the sailors on the yachts”.
Combined with yacht simulators, WindSight IQ also allows the production team to predict the optimal route for the yachts and to analyse the tactics and strategy that the teams used.
Organisers will hope the additions and enhancements – together with a new set of suppliers – will help them achieve the aim of growing audiences by over 50% on top of the sailing viewership records established in Auckland 2021, when the last America’s Cup event took place.
Director of delivery Mark Sheffield added: “We are fortunate to have such a vibrant and innovative production consortium, and I am really excited about what we have in store for viewers.”
Some of the companies in the production consortium include:
- Timeline Television – returning to the America’s Cup, Timeline is responsible for the 64 on-water camera systems and the radio mesh network that brings the signals back to shore
- Animation Research Ltd/Virtual Eye, a long-time partner of the America’s Cup having first worked on the 1992 edition in San Diego, is known for visualising the racetrack and the boat’s positions on it. Virtual Eye takes the data from Bolt6 and Capgemini to enhance the live coverage with graphics that give viewers the best understanding of what is happening out on the water
- Grup Mediapro – new to the America’s Cup, Barcelona headquartered-Mediapro leads the onshore facilitation of the host broadcast
- Capgemini – also new to the America’s Cup, Capgemini has developed WindSight IQ, which uses Light Detection & Ranging (LiDAR) sensors to measure the wind in real-time and fuses multiple sensor streams using innovative algorithms to enable a wind field to be created over the entire racecourse. The wind field data is then used in the yacht simulator (‘Ghost Boat’) to provide predictions for expert insight and analysis
- Riedel, continuing its role from its debut at the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland, provides the broadband audio systems that allow viewers to hear the action onboard the AC75s and AC40s, along with crew communication, on-shore intercom, and digital Tetra radio systems
- Amis Productions, in its sixth America’s Cup, provides the specialist filming from helicopters – supplied by Barcelona-based SkyTours – and chase boats, one of which foils and is powered by electricity
- Bolt6 – new to sailing, the Bolt6 optical tracking system calculates the position of race yachts and other assets to millimetre accuracy using only the TV video feeds, powering the precise alignment of video and AR graphics
- Eurovision Services provide international distribution to over 30 rights holders covering well over 200 broadcast territories as well as supplying the live streaming feeds for americascup.com, YouTube and Facebook
- LittleDot Studios provide the tools and platform to enable the content team at the America’s Cup to create the best possible experience online for viewers
A new Regatta Management System (RMS) has been developed by an in-house team over the last three years. It includes a fleet of battery powered autonomous marks capable of over 8 knots that can reposition themselves in between or during races.
The RMS software system, also written in-house, is used to provide tactical information for teams prior to racing, all the tools for the Regatta Director to set courses and administer races, and all the data and analysis tools for the umpires, including sailing’s equivalent of VAR.
August 31, 2024. Race day three of the Louis Vuitton Cup (Credit: Ian Roman)
The America’s Cup has partnered with over 30 rights holders for broadcast coverage in over 200 territories, including in Spain TVE, TV3 and Betevé, in the UK & Ireland TNT Sports and discovery+, in France and sub-Saharan Africa Canal+, in Italy Mediaset and Sky Italia and in Switzerland SRG.
In addition, in Europe a deal has been struck for an EBU umbrella agreement for all markets including RTP, TVP, MTVA, PBS, ARD/ZDF, NOS, ORF & NRK and the Eurovision Sport platform, ServusTV, TV4, Eurosport (Warner Bros. Discovery, pan-European highlights). In the US and Latin America, coverage is via ESPN.
Broadcast coverage is complemented with global online distribution on americascup.com and other platforms with live, highlights, clips, news and features available online at americascup.com and via YouTube, Facebook and social media.
The Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta starts on the 22nd August and the Louis Vuitton Cup (Challenger Selection Series) will follow, leading up to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Match starting on the 12th of October 2024.
During 2023 and early 2024, three preliminary events were held in Vilanova i La Geltrú, Jeddah, and Barcelona. A full list of how to watch is here.
Read more Mediapro supports production of 37th America’s Cup Barcelona