October 13, 2005, Portsmouth, UK - The world’s premier ocean sailing event, the Volvo Ocean Race, (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race) which starts from Galicia in Spain, this November, looks set to achieve record numbers of television viewers.

With distribution agreements for more than two dozen countries, including major broadcasters in all the stopover territories, it is expected that a cumulative audience in excess of 1.5 billion viewers will tune in to see what promise to be unique pictures, beamed from the Southern Ocean, following the lives of nearly a hundred of the world’s top sailors as they battle their way around the planet.

The weekly coverage of the race will be transmitted by ITV in the UK, TVE in Spain, NOS in Holland, Channel Ten in Australia, TV3 in New Zealand and TVGlobo in Brazil, among others. In addition, programming made by Sunset + Vine, the UK’s leading independent television sports production company, will be seen by viewers in the USA through ABC, ESPN and CNBC and in South Africa on “Super Sport”.

Elsewhere around the world, the public can keep up with events in this epic adventure through television programmes on broadcasters in Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East. Additionally, Gillette World of Sport, a weekly sport highlights programme now seen in over 150 countries, will report on the action both on and off the water.

Each of the boats in the race, which starts in Vigo, Galicia, on November 12, will have 10 on-board cameras with direct satellite links back to the race headquarters in Portsmouth, UK, where the weekly programmes will be produced.

Mark Howell, Head of Broadcast for the Volvo Ocean Race said: “Wherever possible, this time, we are working with free-to-air broadcasters, as we recognise that in most countries broadcasters still have a broader reach and higher ratings than many pay TV channels. We are privileged to be working in the stopover countries with some of the world’s most respected broadcasters. As a result we are confident that the combination of Sunset + Vine and these ‘partners’ will produce exceptional coverage and reach more viewers than has any previous round the world race”.

Share or bookmark this story: