In a technical first for the Swedish Match Tour the final two days of the St. Moritz Match Race are planned to be featured live on the Tour's broadband Internet channel,
www.SwedishMatchTour.tv.
Viewers can launch the Swedish Match Tour Internet TV channel and view the web site via our
Internet TV listing.
Fans of the professional match-racing series will be able to watch the likes of Ben Ainslie (GBR), Ed Baird (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS) and Peter Holmberg (ISV) ply their trade in a real-time broadcast from Lake St. Moritz.
The event begins Wednesday, Aug. 17, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 21. The live broadcasts are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 20-21. The broadcasts will be free of charge to Internet users around the world. Replays of the day's show are expected shortly after the conclusion of racing.
The Swedish Match Tour contracts Sportshows Television (London, England), the film production arm of Narrowstep, Inc. (New York), to produce and distribute the Tour's television programs.
Sportshows Television is handling all the technical requirements of the production. There will be two cameras mounted on each boat. The images from those cameras and two others (off-the-water top view and on-the-water side view) will be sent back to shore via a digital microwave unit. There also will be commentary.
"We're delighted to have the opportunity to go ahead with this ground breaking coverage, making top class match-racing available for sailing enthusiasts around the world to see live," said Cliff Webb, Chief Operating Officer for Narrowstep. "This is a first for the Swedish Match Tour, and takes advantage of our unique technology in being able to broadcast the regatta to the Internet for the first time."
The broadband channel,
www.SwedishMatchTour.tv, was launched last year to broadcast the Tour's television programs. In the first seven months of 2005 it has served more than 7,300 viewers more than 350 hours of programming.
The Swedish Match Tour is in the early stages of its seventh season. Stage 2, the Danish Open, finished yesterday in Skovshoved, Denmark, with Jesper Bank (DEN), United Internet Team Germany, coming out the winner. He moved into a tie with Peter Holmberg (ISV), Alinghi, for the Tour lead with 25 points. Holmberg won Stage 1, the PTPortugal Match Cup, last month.
The St. Moritz Match Race is Stage 3. Located in the Engadin region of the Swiss Alps, Lake St. Moritz is one of the most visually stunning venues on the Swedish Match Tour. At an elevation of 5,624 feet (1,856 meters) above sea level, St. Moritz Match Race is easily the highest-elevation regatta in the world.
The two days of live broadcast cover the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds of the St. Moritz Match Race. The field counts 12 crews and the quarterfinalists will be determined after two opening round robins and a repechage round.
Fans of the Tour based in Switzerland will also be able to watch the final day on television. Swiss national channel SF 2 will carry a same-day broadcast on Sunday, Aug. 21, beginning approximately at 3:45 p.m. The program is scheduled to last 50 minutes.
The daily broadcast schedule will be based on the event program. Advisories will be posted on the broadband site and the Tour's official Web site, www.SwedishMatchTour.com. A high-speed connection is recommended for best viewing.
Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish Match, BMW and the Match Race Association. Swedish Match Tour Official Sponsors include Musto, Sebago and Travel Places.
For more information on the Swedish Match Tour, its competitors and events, please visit the official Tour Web site, www.SwedishMatchTour.tv. Swedish Match Tour television programs may be viewed by clicking on the Tour television button on the home page of the Web site.