Great Outdoors: OLN Lands Rights To Louis Vuitton Cup

The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) has acquired the North American TV rights to the Louis Vuitton Cup, the challenger selection series for the America's Cup, which runs every three years. From October '02 to February '03, OLN will present over 450 hours of coverage (OLN). MULTICHANNEL NEWS' R. Thomas Umstead reported that it was a multimillion-dollar deal. ESPN previously held the rights to the event, but OLN CEO Roger Williams said that ESPN "didn't devote nearly as many hours of coverage as OLN will." Umstead noted that OLN is currently in 37 million HHs and is projected to reach 55 million HHs by the end of '02. While Williams said that OLN is "negotiating for rights to a number of marquee outdoor sports events," he declined to name them (MULTICHANNEL NEWS, 1/7 issue).