FIVB taps Horizon Sports & Experiences to handle sponsorship and media rights for its 2027 tournament

The GIST: Volleyball is bigger than ever, and FIVB wants to meet the moment. After bringing its 2027 tournament stateside, the international volleyball federation is officially teaming up with Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) as the event’s exclusive sponsorship and media rights sales agency. Let’s dive in.

The details: HS&E will help FIVB land U.S. media rights and partnerships, while also focusing on commercializing the tourney for a global audience. It’s also planning for experienced-based sponsorships to encourage fan engagement at next year’s Olympic qualifier event in Anaheim, which is also hosting LA28’s volleyball games.

• HS&E has experience with digital storytelling opportunities, which could be crucial for FIVB. It also negotiated Unrivaled’s media rights, has been involved in thought leadership and research, and launched a women’s college basketball showcase. A real utility player.

The trajectory: FIVB’s 2027 tournament is already poised for hypergrowth among global audiences. Last year’s edition in Thailand broke broadcasting and digital reach records with 803M total viewers across live and repeat programming — outperforming the men’s tourney. It also had massive social media reach across key demographics: 78% of the audience was aged 18 to 25 and 54% were women.

Looking ahead: This is just the latest example of FIVB leveling up its business infrastructure through world-class strategic partnerships. In 2021, it teamed up with private equity giant CVC Capital to form its commercial arm Volleyball World, while CVC acquired a 33% stake worth about $100M.

• Volleyball isn’t just a surging American sport — it’s enjoying a global wave of popularity in places from Brazil to Japan. FIVB is working to put the right pieces in place to unlock a bigger U.S. and global fandom, especially with the next Olympic Games on the horizon. All set.