Volvo Ocean Race | Sunset Vine on board as 2014-15 Host Broadcaster

Volvo Ocean Race has appointed British-based independent sports production company Sunset+Vine as Host Broadcaster and Distribution Partner for the 2014-15 edition – with a mission to take full advantage of enhanced media capabilities on board and deliver the human and sporting drama of the nine-month race to a global audience.

IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race

As well as delivering live coverage of the In-Port Race Series and Leg Starts, Sunset+Vine will distribute all race programming and news footage around the world. The production will be headed by the company’s specialist sailing unit Sunset+Vine|APP.

For the 12th edition of the race, each of the new one-design Volvo Ocean 65 boats will be equipped with the most sophisticated ever on-board filming, editing and satellite transmission equipment. At race headquarters in Alicante, a 24-hour watch system will be in place to ensure a more complete picture of the ocean legs will be painted than ever before.

Over 2,000 applications have been received for Onboard Reporter positions. The Race is now working with teams to match them up with candidates possessing the multimedia storytelling skills to do justice to a race that celebrates its 40th birthday in 2013.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad, commented: “The ocean legs have always been the heart and soul of the Volvo Ocean Race. No one is better placed than Sunset+Vine to bring this real story of life on board to audiences around the world.

“At its core the Volvo Ocean Race is about people and how they respond to life, and sport, at the extreme. Our priority is to share the reality of a race where competitors are prepared to put everything on the line to prevail.”

Richard Simmonds, Joint Managing Director, of Sunset+Vine|APP said: “The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the most extreme events in world sport and this theme will lie at the heart of our coverage. From live video footage in the middle of a Southern Ocean storm to transporting the viewer into some of the remotest places on earth, our production will be driven from the very essence of this event.

“We have a proven track record in delivering compelling stories and spectacular imagery on the sport of sailing to a multi-platform global audience. The Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 will provide ground-breaking opportunities to take the race coverage to a new level.”

Sunset+Vine delivered widely acclaimed work as the Volvo Ocean Race’s official TV partners in both the 2005-06 and 2008-09 editions. The Sunset+Vine team also produced the Olympic sailing events for London 2012, and continue to produce CNN International’s flagship sailing programme “Mainsail” while owning the production and distribution rights for Sea Master Sailing, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

Details of Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015 programming will be announced closer to the start of the race in October 2014.