FIVB Teams With IMG and FloSports for OTT, Streaming

The FIVB will partner with IMG to launch Volleyball TV, the first over-the-top (OTT) digital streaming platform in volleyball history. Volleyball TV will offer fans both live action and unmissable highlights from all of the sport’s major events starting with the Volleyball Nations League, which begins on May 15.
IMG has been an integral part of the Volleyball Nations League, the revolutionary new competition that is set to change the way sport engages with its fans. The Volleyball Nations League will be the first event that the FIVB has taken control of its own content production, ensuring a consistently world class output for fans across the globe.

Volleyball TV will be available as a Pay Per View (PPV) service in selected markets for both the Volleyball Nations League and the FIVB Men’s and Women’s World Championships in September.

“Volleyball continues to lead the way in fan entertainment, and our new OTT platform will offer unrivalled access to every single minute of the Volleyball Nations League,” FIVB President Ary S. Graça said. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the sport, on and off the court, and we are delighted to be working with IMG on this project.”

Available on desktop, mobile and iOS and Android apps, Volleyball TV will show live action from all 260 men’s and women’s matches of the VNL, as well as 10-minute highlights from every game. Coverage details of the 197 matches of the men’s and women’s World Championships will be announced in due course.

The channel will also feature FIVB archive content, and future plans include adding other FIVB competitions, national leagues and other major volleyball tournaments from around the world.

“This is a very exciting new venture for IMG and the FIVB and it will play a pivotal role in the continued growth and popularity of volleyball around the world,” Ioris Francini, Co-President of WME and IMG, says. “There is a tremendous buzz around the Volleyball Nations League and the channel will ensure that fans of the sport in future will have access to the live action wherever they are in the world. Going forward, we want to create a service that delivers a year-round digital experience featuring coverage of all major tournaments and leagues as well as news and feature content. In time, we will introduce a range of packages so subscribers can choose what best suits them.”

FIVB Announces Major Partnership With Online Streaming Service FloSports
The FIVB today announced a multi-year partnership with FloSports to show extensive coverage of major volleyball events across the United States.  

As part of the agreement, FloSports will show a number of key FIVB competitions on its Over-The-Top (OTT) platform FloVolleyball.tv in the US, including the inaugural Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and the Men’s and Women’s 2018 World Championships.

The agreement includes the online streaming of 465 live FIVB matches in 2018 alone, which will further strengthen the FIVB’s position in North America. FloVolleyball is the number one site for men’s and women’s volleyball coverage, with viewers able to watch the sport on over 200 days per year.

This is a pivotal moment in the future of volleyball. The creation of the VNL, a joint project between FIVB and IMG beginning on May 15, is the most important competition in the FIVB’s history and will revolutionise how volleyball is presented; making it more fan-centric and placing our fans, both inside and outside the stadium, at the very heart of the action.

“This marks another great step for volleyball in one of our key markets,” Garcia says. “Our sport is hugely popular in America and I am delighted that FloSports and FloVolleyball will provide more opportunities in the digital sphere for fans to enjoy world class action. Our mission is to be the world’s number one family sport and our focus on digital innovation and global accessibility of volleyball is key to this. This partnership is another demonstration of our strong digital presence, ensuring that our fans never miss a moment of the action.”

The following FIVB events and championships will be aired in the US on FloVolleyball.tv as part of this partnership:

•    FIVB Volleyball Nations League: 2018-2020
•    FIVB Volleyball Men’s and Women’s World Championships: 2018
•    FIVB Volleyball Men’s and Women’s World Cup: 2019
•    FIVB Volleyball Men’s and Women’s Club World Championships: 2019-2020

“As the international governing body, the FIVB is the world’s largest and most respected volleyball organisation,” FloSports co-founder and COO Mark Floreani said. “Our partnership will serve as the cornerstone for our volleyball vertical, allowing us to provide fans with unparalleled coverage of the sport and expanded coverage of the VNL brand. We’re excited to give volleyball fans increased access to these events, and provide unmatched content to the top volleyball events year-round.”