This €66.5 million surplus comes from total revenues of €240 million, generated largely through the city bid and the four-year sponsorship programme, but also through TV rights, the hospitality programme and the concessions and marinas of Port America's Cup.
ACM said this will help teams prepare for the 33rd America's Cup which is to take place in 2009. By creating a single structure managing both the Challenger Selection Series and the America's Cup Match and by developing a professional marketing strategy, ACM said it succeeded in creating a net surplus to be shared with all competitors of the 32nd event.
“This is a significant result and by providing the funds to the teams now, we aim to help them prepare their 33rd campaign, while also giving continuity to the event," said Michel Hodara, CEO of ACM.
Ernesto Bertarelli, syndicate head of Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America's Cup, commented: "The vision for the 32nd America's Cup was to create a fantastic sporting occasion, in Europe, with a viable commercial business model comparable to other major global sporting events."
The America's Cup delivered on both accounts with this edition being arguably the best ever with over four billion TV viewers and six million visitors, watching extremely close racing. Bertarelli now looks to the future: "Our vision for the 33rd America's Cup is to create an even greater sporting occasion for 2009 with an exciting new class of boats and to build upon the successes of the 32nd edition."
