Am Cup - Dalton confirms TV will be free to air
by Newshub and Sail-World.com/nz 14 Dec 2017 18:52 EST
15 December 2017
Emirates Team New Zealand CEO, Grant Dalton has confirmed that the TV broadcast of the 2021 America's Cup Regatta will be free to air - for Kiwis.
Interviewed on the AM Show, Dalton was questioned on the size of the Event Fee - needed to put in place the infrastructure for the coverage of the 36th America's Cup - but wouldn't elaborate except to say that the sums which have been bandied about in the media are well wide of the mark.
He says the money is purely for operational purposes, not to help Team NZ retain the Auld Mug, and isn't near the various figures of well over $100 million which had been speculated in the media.
"It's not a cheap event to put on but it's nothing like some of the numbers that have been bandied around," Dalton told The AM Show.
"I'm not going to say exactly what the figure is because it's subject to negotiation."
Dalton confirmed Team NZ won't seek government financial help for its sailing programme, as was needed on the way to winning the America's Cup in Bermuda this year. In the 2007 and 2013 America's Cups, the New Zealand Government took a top level sponsorship package with the team enabling it to sit alongside the other four Tier-1 sponsors and had its logos in prominent positions.
Dalton also surprisingly confirmed that there would be no entrance fee for the supporters and fans. In Bermuda and San Francsico entry was by ticket only as for any other stadium sport.
"We don’t want an admission fee to come into the village, it doesn’t make any sense.
"We want free to air TV, we don’t want paid subscription TV. We want everybody, Grannie in Greymouth that don’t subscribe [to pay TV] to get it.
"We're talking with council and government and their representatives to try and work out how we can do these things for free for the public."
No decision has been made on the way international TV rights will be handled - which will be a discussion between the Defender, Emirates Team NZ and the Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa who are responsible for organsiation of the Challenger Selection Series. It is likely that the organisers (COR/D) will place a much greater empahsis on attracting the largest possible TV audience to give sponsors maximum value for their investment.
Dalton was pleased Auckland Council had confirmed on Thursday its preferred location for the team bases as Wynyard Basin. Part of the plan is to have a permanent base for Emirates Team New Zealand on the end of Hobson Wharf - the team base will have a showcase area which will house the team's AC50, winner of the 35th America's Cup. NZL-32, the America's Cup winner in 1995 is located in the NZ National Maritime Museum which will be the next door neighbour for the team's new base.
For the full story and AM Show interview click here
For another interview with Grant Dalton on NewstalkZB click here