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BBC turns down chance to show historic America’s Cup match for free
The BBC has turned down the chance to show what could be a historic America’s Cup match between Great Britain and New Zealand despite being offered the footage for free, Telegraph Sport understands.
The national broadcaster could yet strike a deal for the latter part of the series if Ineos Britannia are doing well.
The action is due to start on Saturday with two races, but the BBC has declined to commit to live coverage this weekend, or highlights, after failing to reach an agreement with the America’s Cup organisers.
Telegraph Sport has been told there were issues with branding on the world feed. Even a “compliant” feed with minimised branding was said to be an issue, although the BBC may be able to remove or obscure the offending element.
The BBC could yet cover the latter part of the series, but is only likely to do so if an Ineos Britannia victory looks possible.
The racing will be shown live on TNT Sports, as well as on YouTube and on the America’s Cup website, as it has been throughout the challenger series.
A BBC spokesperson declined to comment but advised that BBC Sport would be covering the event through news and digital reporting.
Ben Ainslie’s team made history last week when they defeated Italians Luna Rossa to become the first British team for 60 years to qualify for the final of sport’s oldest international competition. The America’s Cup was born off the Isle of Wight in 1851, when it was originally known as the £100 Cup. Britain has never won it.
After defeating Luna Rossa 7-4 in a nail-biting challenger series final last week, Ainslie’s team now face defenders Emirates Team New Zealand in another first-to-seven series for the chance to lift the “Auld Mug”.
The opposing teams are due to face each other in a press conference on Friday morning where it is understood a haka will be performed on stage, although not by New Zealand’s sailors.
The inaugural Women’s America’s Cup continued on Thursday but teams were frustrated by a lack of wind in Barcelona. Only one of the four scheduled races in Group A, which features Britain’s Athena Pathway, could be completed. Hannah Mills’s team finished second behind Switzerland in that race to move joint top of the group alongside Italy.
Fleet racing will continue on Friday with the top three in each group qualifying for the semi-finals later in the day.
