IMG Arena scores long term partnership with European Volleyball Confederation

The deal covers volleyball, beach volleyball and snow volleyball – the new form of the sport launched by CEV and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) in 2016 – allowing sportsbetting operators access to content across all events organised by the CEV.

This includes the CEV’s blue riband volleyball events, the biennial EuroVolley, which is contested by 24 national teams, and Champions League, the top competition for the continent’s leading club sides each year. A total of 56 national federations are represented by CEV.

The deal was brokered by the international rights agency AMI on behalf of CEV, with AMI retaining all betting category sponsorship rights for all CEV events.

Freddie Longe, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of IMG ARENA, said: “We are privileged and excited to announce our partnership with CEV. Volleyball is a globally-popular sport, with the CEV administering some of the most exciting competitions it has to offer.

“Operator feedback tells us volleyball is a property that has much untapped potential and one which the industry feels will benefit from an improved sports betting solution. Our move into the sport will allow us to significantly enhance the betting interface and boost engagement with its community of passionate fans.”

Aleksandar Boričić, CEV President, said: “Partnering with IMG ARENA to distribute our sports betting live streaming and betting data rights is an important strategic development for CEV. IMG ARENA has a strong track record of working with federations and international sports organisations to both protect and grow sports via their innovative products and solutions.

“We understand the benefits of a long-term relationship, and in IMG ARENA we have found a partner to future proof our sport for the next generation of fans.”

Headquartered in London, IMG ARENA works with more than 460 leading sportsbook operators worldwide, providing always-on services including 24/7 live betting streaming and on-demand virtual sports betting products designed to evolve and inspire engagement by placing fans at the heart of the action. In 2019, more than 175 million hours of IMG ARENA content was watched by 56 million unique viewers around the globe. IMG ARENA’s clients include the ATP, UFC, the European and PGA Golf Tours, the FA Cup and Serie A.