Deal Secured by Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) Brings every match of the Women’s Volleyball World Cup to ION and Scripps Sports Platforms; HS&E, Volleyball World and ION to Collaborate on Advertising and Sponsorship Sales
Volleyball World, the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup Organizing Committee and Scripps Sports have signed an exclusive U.S. domestic broadcast rights agreement to televise all 64 games of the upcoming Women’s Volleyball World Cup 2027 tournament on ION and Scripps Sports platforms in both English and Spanish.
The deal was facilitated by Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E), the exclusive sponsorship and media rights sales agency for the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup.
Taking place across the United States and Canada in August and September 2027, the three-week tournament will bring together 32 national teams competing for one of the most prestigious titles in international volleyball. Already one of the world’s most widely followed and played sports, volleyball arrives in North America at a moment of significant opportunity, with growing collegiate audiences, strong participation and increasing interest in women’s sports creating a foundation for further growth in the U.S. The 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup will also play a significant role on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with the three highest-finishing national teams that have not already qualified securing their places at LA28.
ION, The E.W. Scripps Company’s (NASDAQ: SSP) national sports and entertainment network available over-the-air, across pay television, connected TV platforms and streaming services, reaches more than 126 million households nationally. The 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup adds to Scripps’ growing portfolio of women’s sports rights, including the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League), PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) and Premier Women’s Rodeo (PWR).
“The FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup is a premier global tournament that showcases the incredible athleticism and competitive intensity of the world’s best volleyball players,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “We’re thrilled and honored to bring the 2027 event to ION and to the millions of loyal and passionate volleyball fans across the United States.”
“This agreement represents an unprecedented level of U.S. distribution for the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup and a defining moment for the sport in this market,” said Craig Thompson, CEO of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup 2027. “The world’s best athletes, competing in one of the most dynamic and compelling sports on the planet, will have an extraordinary platform to reach millions of fans across the country. It’s a tremendous opportunity to introduce new audiences to the power and excitement of women’s volleyball and build a new generation of fans.”
“The FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup has all the components that make for great television: elite competition, a passionate, global fan base, and significant potential for advertisers and sponsors,” said David Levy, co-CEO and Founder, Horizon Sports & Experiences. “Securing this rights deal with Scripps and ION elevates the sport to new heights, creates new commercial opportunities, and provides the athletes with a significant platform for their matches. We look forward to working closely with FIVB and ION to continue to build upon the momentum for this event.”
As part of the deal, ION, FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup 2027 and Horizon Sports & Experiences will collaborate on title and presenting sponsorship sales packages, leveraging HS&E’s proprietary and complementary media and sponsorship data-driven process, linking brands and properties to maximize impact.
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About Volleyball World
Volleyball World is a commercial joint venture between the FIVB and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, created to drive innovation, digital transformation, and growth across the sport of volleyball globally. With a mission to modernize the game and expand its fanbase, Volleyball World oversees media, events, and fan engagement for all major international competitions.
About FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup Organizing Committee
The FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup 2027 Organizing Committee leads the planning, promotion, and delivery of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup across the United States and Canada. Working in partnership with the FIVB, Volleyball World, national federations, host cities, broadcasters, and commercial partners, the Organizing Committee is dedicated to creating a world-class event that elevates women’s volleyball, grows the sport’s fanbase, and accelerates its commercial growth throughout North America.
About ION
A leading general entertainment and sports network, ION’s lineup features major cable and broadcast shows, original series, live sports and special event programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a diversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of about 60 stations in 40 markets.
About Scripps Sports
Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports currently has partnerships with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Major League Volleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS track-and-field, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Nashville Predators, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, Denver Summit FC of the NWSL and the NCAA’s Big Sky Conference. Scripps Sports is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).
About Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E)
Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) provides a unique and complementary combination of sports, experiential marketing, and media capabilities. HS&E has a core focus on IP creation and monetization, strategic advisory and consulting, media rights, sponsorship, sales, and experiential strategy and activation. HS&E is led by co-CEOs David Levy and Chris Weil.
HS&E’s ever-growing roster of sports and entertainment partners now encompasses PayPal/Venmo, Paramount+, Proximo Spirits, the NBA, Cognizant, M&T Bank, Unrivaled and World Sevens. Additionally, the agency created and manages its Pickleball Slam franchise, and the Women’s Champions Classic, further solidifying HS&E’s position as a premier destination for cutting-edge sports and entertainment solutions.