Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

SailGP accelerates rapid growth across all areas of operation in Season 2

by SailGP 10 May 2022 12:32 HKT
SailGP accelerates rapid growth across all areas of operation in Season 2 © SailGP

SailGP welcomed more viewers, attendees, online followers and athletes than ever in Season 2, while making a greater positive impact on the planet, as the league releases its lookback at Season 2.

From the broadcast product to the on-water racing to the environmental benefit and impact, the purpose-driven global racing championship has seen significant growth in both its realized ambitions and new achievements.

On the water the league grew from 6 to 8 teams in Season 2 and held 8 events, up from 5 in Season 1. SailGP also continued its push for greater diversity in global sport with 15 female athletes involved in competitive racing in Season 2, thanks to the Women's Pathway Program, a new initiative for the season.

Fans clearly liked what they saw on the water, with broadcast and digital audiences experiencing exceptional growth. SailGP's total broadcast audience (dedicated and secondary) saw an increase of 220% to 823.4 million viewers, with the dedicated broadcast audience of 39.2 million representing a 131% increase on Season 1. Over 700 broadcast hours were enjoyed per event in over 186 territories, as the league was seen by more fans than ever before around the world. At the same time media coverage of the league greatly increased, with 23,943 press articles written about SailGP, an increase of 246% from Season 1.

On site, 144,522 fans attended a SailGP event, an achievement made all the more extraordinary given it was a season heavily disrupted and restricted in terms of in-person attendance by Covid. This number is driven by ticketed and estimated non-ticketed spectators both on and off the water.

On digital platforms, SailGP surpassed 1 million followers globally, and SailGP's digital content delivered 97 million views, representing a 355% increase on Season 1. 16 million of those views came from event live streams on SailGP's digital platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, with a total watch time of 2.5 million hours. SailGP's docuseries Racing on the Edge totalled 7.43 million minutes watched. The league's female fanbase also greatly grew in Season 2, and it increased its younger viewership, with a 21% increase in the number of 18-34 year olds watching SailGP events digitally.

Season 2 saw the introduction of SailGP's second podium for the planet, the Impact League, which tracks the positive actions the teams make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing. It was part of wider positive growth for the league outside of competitive racing, which continued at pace. SailGP's Inspire program, a first-of-its-kind global youth sailing and career program, involved 5,072 young people, meaning that after just two seasons the league is already 81% of its way to the stated goal of 10,000 people involved in the program by Season 5. Inspire is part of the league's Better Sport strategy and used as a force for good and a tool to develop life-long skills. Through Inspire's three distinct programs - Learning, Careers, and Racing - SailGP is able to build a future for youth through sustainable sport.

As a climate positive sport SailGP takes its role to reduce its footprint very seriously and has achieved a 47% Carbon emission reduction in all fuels for temporary power, consisting of the on-water fleet, helicopter usage and electricity at events, across scope 1 and 2 emissions. Clean energy was 70% of the temporary event power, a combination of solar power and HVO/B100 fuels. An overwhelming majority of athletes said they believed other sports should have an Impact League and that the introduction of the league had made them do things differently as a team when it came to acting sustainably, driving inclusivity and reducing their carbon footprint.

At every event SailGP drives impact to the local community through clean energy or blue carbon projects, 8 in total were held in Season 2 including solar panel legacy projects and seagrass restoration. SailGP also hosted over 200 attendees across its Champions for Change (CFC) thought leadership forums, designed to raise awareness of climate challenges, share ideas and make connections. Contributions to the forums came from companies such as Parley for the Oceans, CDP and C40 among others.

As a result of the CFC event held before the Spain Sail Grand Prix, the New Zealand team was instrumental in the signing of an historic agreement between the Governments of New Zealand and Spain to address the conservation emergency facing seabirds that migrate across international waters, including albatrosses and petrels. SailGP will also shortly be releasing its first ever Impact Report.

SaiGP was once again supported by the Oracle Cloud and stream analytics system, which processes and delivers 30,000 data points every second from each F50 catamaran competing in a SailGP race. Oracle delivered about 80 billion data points to the cloud during Season 2.

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: "The growth of our league in Season 2, in truly unprecedented circumstances, is a fantastic testament to the commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of our fans, athletes and staff. SailGP has never shied away from its pioneering ambition - to redefine the sport by creating a fully sustainable, annual global racing league for the top professional athletes in the sport - and these impressive results across all of our platforms, and in all areas of the business, are recognition of how we are realizing those ambitions. The growth of our league is exciting and looks set to continue with what we've already achieved with additional venues and teams for Season 3."

The global organization worked with Engage Digital, PwC Bermuda, Deloitte, YouGov ® Sport and Meltwater to look at all areas of the business and help understand the full impact of SailGP in its second season. A comprehensive season report will be available later this year.

SailGP Season 3 boasts an impressive global calendar of events, starting with the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess on May 14 and 15, culminating in the Grand Final in San Francisco in May 2023. In between, the championship visits iconic destinations including Chicago, Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz, Dubai and Christchurch.

Related Articles

SailGP: Roger Federer inspires Swiss SailGP team.
Roger Federer joins forces with Switzerland SailGP Team to inspire success One of Switzerland's greatest sporting icons, Roger Federer, features in the newest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP's official behind-the-scenes docuseries, produced in partnership with Rolex. Posted on 27 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike. Posted on 26 Jun
SailGP opens tender process for two new teams
SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment. SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment for ownership of two new teams entering the global racing championship next season, alongside available stakes across existing national teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Russell Coutts explains SailGP's investor value
Russell Coutts explains the growth of SailGP and why investors are chasing a slice of the action. SailGP co-founder and CEO Russell Coutts discusses the hard to understand investment, and growth of SailGP. The growth multiples hoped for SailGP have been achieved, on paper, by the same investors in other sports. Posted on 12 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix overall
Spain SailGP Team claims second consecutive U.S. win Diego Botin and the Spain SailGP team have punched their way to the top of the Rolex SailGP Championship, taking the win on Sunday in New York. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain win in New York - Day 2
Diego Botin's Spanish crew scraped into the Final, and then took their second successive SailGP win. The Spanish crew led by Diego Botin staged a comeback in the last race after losing an 8pt lead to squeeze into the Final, only taking the lead halfway through the three boat Final. Full race replay here. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain lead in New York - Day 1
Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix, after a consistent day's sailing on the murky and rainswept Hudson River. Full replay and leaderboard in this story. Posted on 7 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix day 1
Spain overcomes storm clouds, topping the standings Diego Botin's Spain SailGP Team leads the fleet after a stormy and tactical opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. France, ROCKWOOL Denmark and New Zealand are all hot on his heels for all-important leaderboard points. Posted on 7 Jun
Russell Coutts reports ahead of SailGP New York
The New York Russell Report: Coutts on fleet-wide wing repairs and top picks for New York podium SailGP has returned to New York for the third time ahead of this weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7/8. Ahead of racing, SailGP CEO Russell Coutts reveals his behind-the-scenes insight of the fleet. Posted on 7 Jun
SailGP to Kick Off Summer in New York
With this Weekend's Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix An unforgettable weekend of high-speed, close-to-shore racing and world-class entertainment will take place this weekend when the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix takes place in front of the most famous skyline in the world. Posted on 5 Jun
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERVetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 FOOTERRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER