Team New Zealand will "move to have the America's Cup return" to free-to-air TV, according to STUFF. Team NZ Principal Matteo de Nora gave a "strong indication" of that in an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa where he "expressed confidence Auckland could attract better audiences than Bermuda and that other buildup regattas would be held around the world." He also emphasized increased nationality around teams and "had a dig at Oracle's governance of the event that saw the Kiwis at odds on several fronts," operating as a "lone wolf" outside the other five syndicates. De Nora added that there was a "need for more fans to be given access to the event and that in turn would lead to greater commercial opportunities." For the first time in New Zealand's long history in the Cup, this year's live TV coverage was shown exclusively on Sky TV, which "pushed a delayed version out to the wider audience via Prime TV once Team New Zealand made the final." This caused "considerable angst among fans." De Nora said, "The main goal is to have more audience, even among the ones that don't follow this sport. Besides the boat, there has to be a return to nationality. The America's Cup has to be a challenge between nations. And we need to also think about the TV. Private networks, pay-TV, buy the rights and offer the America's Cup in a non-clear way. The America's Cup organization can gain more money but at the end there is a more limited audience. This will reduce the sponsors' interest" (STUFF, 6/29).
