Full-service agency Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) has been brought on board as the exclusive commercial rights partner of next year's FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup.
HS&E has today been unveiled as the exclusive sponsorship and media rights sales agency for that World Cup, which will take place across the US and Canada, next August and September.
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The deal was struck by HS&E with Volleyball World, the commercial arm of volleyball's FIVB governing body.
It will entail HS&E leading the media rights and commercial rights sales process, focusing on "developing and commercializing the global audience for one of volleyball's premier women's events."
The sponsorship packages will be tailored to deepen fan engagement around the tournament, which will be the first-ever Women's World Cup to feature as many as 32 teams (and will act as a qualifying event for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028).
Craig Thompson, chief executive at the FIVB 2027 Women's World Cup, commented: "We're excited to partner with HS&E to help build the commercial platform and fan activation needed to make the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup 2027 a defining moment for the sport.”
David Levy, co-chief executive and founder at HS&E, added: "As the biggest sporting entities in the world continue to focus on North America as the home of championship-caliber events, this tournament presents a significant opportunity for us to support the expansion of volleyball’s appeal, connect with new audiences, and deliver meaningful value to brand partners.”
In terms of recent Volleyball World rights activity, mid-May saw that commercial arm secure a four-year rights extension with Japanese commercial broadcaster Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS).
Under that agreement, TBS becomes the exclusive Japanese broadcaster of the indoor Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and the FIVB Volleyball World Cup across linear and digital streaming platforms.
The Volleyball World commercial vehicle was launched in early 2021 as a joint venture between the FIVB and private equity heavyweights CVC, which acquired a 33% stake in the entity worth around $100 million.
