SailGP picks up record American audience

SailGP has received its largest American broadcast audience yet, with 1.784m tuning into CBS for the US team’s victory at the Spain Sail Grand Prix on 5 November.

It was the US SailGP team’s first victory in Season 4 of the high-speed Catamaran sailing tournament, and the viewing figures represent a nine percent increase in viewership over last year’s SailGP event in Spain. It was the most watched sailing race in the US since 1992.

SailGP managing director Andy Thompson, said: “The viewership numbers achieved on CBS are a clear demonstration of the growing interest in SailGP in the United States. We’re breaking records and rivaling some very long-established US sports at what is an extremely exciting time for the league and the United States team in particular.” 

“SailGP is grand prix racing like you’ve never seen before,” he adds. “We are attracting an increasing number of fans with our adrenaline-fueled racing, where any of the competing teams can bring home the victory on any given weekend. We’re looking forward to finishing Season 4 in the United States – with a major event in New York City in June 2024 before the season Grand Final in San Francisco in July 2024 – and we know thousands of fans won’t just be watching from home but also heading out to support the U.S. team live from the shoreline.”

In July, SailGP announced an increased partnership with CBS and CBS Sports including 12 dedicated hours on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+, doubling the network coverage from Season 3, and expanding to more than 50 hours of original programming across broadcast and CBS Sports Network.

Every event in SailGP Season 4 is being aired on the CBS Sports Network including the upcoming Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas, on 9-10 December.