Previously it has only broadcast the European leg of the competition

The Ocean Race Warner Bros. Discovery (2)

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the plans for its first global production of the Ocean Race.

Previously, the broadcaster only aired the European section of the seven-leg global sailing race. After a deal agreed last year, this time round every leg start of the six-month competition plus the series’ in-port races will be shown live on Eurosport 1, with streaming available on discovery+ and the Eurosport App across 50 markets in Europe. 

It will also offer free-to-air highlights coverage through its channels in Denmark (6’eren), Sweden (Kanal 9) and Finland (Kutonen) and for fans in Germany through additional sublicense partnerships.

Niall Myant Best will host alongside reporter Natasha Gonzalez, with endurance sailing star Samantha Davies providing analysis.

The Ocean Race Warner Bros. Discovery (3)

In addition to the live content, there will be offshore highlights content between legs and regular features about life onboard will be broadcast across WBD’s channels and platforms. Eurosport.com will also offer content available in 19 languages.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, the 14th edition of The Ocean Race sets sail on 15  January with 32,000 nautical miles (60,000 km) ahead of each team. The full schedule is below. Five teams will battle it out in the seven-leg round-the-world IMOCA 60 series, which pits customisable 60-foot foiling monohulls against each other with a crew of 4-5 on each boat. The VO65 class features 6 teams of 10 crew racing on identical 65-foot vessels at each of the European legs of the race in the Sprint format.

Ocean Race 2022-23 schedule

Leg 1 - Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde - 15 January
Leg 2 - Cabo Verde to Cape Town, South Africa - 25 January
Leg 3 - Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil - 26 February
Leg 4 - Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, RI, USA - 23 April
Leg 5 - Newport, RI, USA to Aarhus, Denmark - 21 May
Leg 6 - Aarhus, Denmark to The Hague, The Netherlands - 8 June
Fly-by - Kiel, Germany - 9 June
Leg 7 - Grand Finale - The Hague, The Netherlands to Genova, Italy - 15 June

In-port race schedule

Alicante, Spain – 8 January
Cape Town, South Africa – 24 February
Itajaí, Brazil – April 21
Newport, Rhode Island, United States – 20 May
Aarhus, Denmark – 4 June
The Hague, Netherlands – 13/14 June
Genova, Italy – 1 July

Mixed crews will gain points during each leg with the winning team accruing the most points overall. Tied teams will be separated by points won as part of the 7-race in-port series. As a precursor to the main race, the in-port series kicked off on Sunday 8 January in Alicante. 

Scott Young, SVP content and production at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “The Ocean Race is one of the toughest team tests in sport that stretches the athletes’ skill, endurance and mental strength to the absolute limits. To showcase their endeavours, as host broadcaster we are excited to undertake this unique challenge of producing coverage at sea by utilising our technology, production expertise and storytelling ability to bring these athletes the recognition they deserve on a global stage.

The Ocean Race Warner Bros. Discovery (1)

“The popularity of sailing continues to grow and we will harness the full scale of our linear, streaming, digital and social platforms to dive into The Ocean Race like never before to help it reach new fans. In tandem, endurance sailing spotlights two vital themes of our time, climate change and ocean health, and by partnering with The Ocean Race, we will raise even greater awareness of these topics among broader audiences.”

Images: The Ocean Race