More puzzling decision making from America's Cup organisers

by Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team on 31 Aug 2015 America's Cup World Series App. The first version of this paid app allowed downloaders to watch the coverage on their laptops and hence big screen TV's.

Four minutes before today's scheduled America's Cup World Series Round 2 coverage start in Gothenburg, we found that the App software had been actually been changed to prevent viewing on computers. Yes we know that the AC+ app had been advertised as mobile only, but now it has really been restricted to mobile devices.

As a result we watched the racing on a 5.5 inch phablet. By the second race we had got a tablet organised so we had better vision.

For the Bermuda coverage, we will set up another tablet which has a port for a mini HDMI cable (these are a rarity, but thankfully we have one) or our techs have suggested we will use emulator software or RDP software to port content across our office network from tablet to desktops and hence to big screens.

We shall overcome, but the point is why have the America's Cup organisers tried to restrict their paid coverage to mobile devices.

Can someone explain how this helps deliver value to America's Cup event sponsors, or the team sponsors or the audience?

Mind you, you won't hear any public criticism from any of the teams, any adverse comments from the team will under the enlightened rules of 2017 America's Cup cost them US$25,000 for the first offence, $100,000 for second offence and $250,000 for the third and subsequent offences.

So let's not ask them, we will ask our wider audience.

Please put you hand up if you think this is good business practice?

Someone? anyone? Ah one, thanks Russell!


Regardless today we report on the Gothenburg event and live in hope that by 2017, the penny drops that bigger audiences are better for the sport and the sponsors too and that the stupidity of restricted coverage is just that.