NBC highlight show of America’s Cup World Series NYC

On Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. ET, American television network NBC will broadcast a one-hour highlight show from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series New York, which took place on May 7 and 8. Huge crowds, three different race winners, and a come-from-behind win in the final moments marked the event.

“The crowds were insane,” is how Jimmy Spithill, skipper of the home team, ORACLE TEAM USA, described the weekend. “This was a great event for the fans.”

In addition to over 175,000 fans estimated by the America’s Cup Event Authority to be on site, celebrities like Lindsey Vonn, Stephen Colbert, Sir Richard Branson, and actors Jason Biggs, Mark Ruffalo and Liam Hemsworth took their turns on the water sailing with the teams.

Six crews from six countries are competing in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, including defending America’s Cup champion ORACLE TEAM USA (USA), Artemis Racing (Sweden), Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand), Groupama Team France (France), Land Rover BAR (Great Britain), and Softbank Team Japan (Japan).

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series is the primary stage of the America’s Cup, and began in the summer of 2015. Overall ranking position in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series determines the starting points score of the teams competing in the America’s Cup Qualifiers in 2017.

ACWS 2015
July 25-26: Portsmouth, UK
August 29-30: Gothenberg, Sweden
October 17-18: Bermuda

ACWS 2016
February 27-28: Muscat, Oman
May 7-8: New York, USA
June 11-12: Chicago, USA
July 23-24: Portsmouth, UK
September 10-11: Toulon, France
November: Fukuoka, Japan (not confirmed)

ACWS 2017 – One event expected
TBA

Using a format of fleet racing in foiling, wing-sailed 45ft catamarans, the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) winner will be the team with the most points accumulated from all the ACWS events.

In 2017, the six teams (5 challengers and 1 defender) will compete in the new 15-meter AC Class, beginning with the America’s Cup Qualifiers, a double round robin match racing series which will reduce the five challengers to the top four teams. In this series, the winner of the America’s Cup World Series starts the America’s Cup Qualifiers with a 2 point advantage (runner-up in ACWS begins with 1 point advantage).

At the conclusion of the America’s Cup Qualifiers, only the four challengers with the most points (each match win earns 1 point) advance to the final stage to determine the challenger which will face the defender in the 35th America’s Cup. Complete schedule.