VERSANT ANNOUNCES MULTI-YEAR MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITH LEAGUE ONE VOLLEYBALL
Women's Pro Volleyball Comes to Primetime on USA Network Beginning January 2026 with LOVB Match of the Week on Wednesday Nights Live at 8 p.m. ET
USA Network to Present Live Coverage of Playoffs and 2026 LOVB Championship Match
Featuring Athletes with 23 Olympic Medals, LOVB Joins VERSANT's Robust Women's Professional Sports Portfolio Alongside the WNBA and LPGA Tour as it Continues its Course to Become the Next American Major League
STAMFORD, Conn. - September 16, 2025 - VERSANT today announced it has acquired media rights for League One Volleyball (LOVB), bringing the premier women's professional volleyball league in the U.S. to a national primetime audience on USA Network starting January 2026.
Under the multi-year agreement, USA Network will exclusively air the league's Match of the Week in primetime on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET. The agreement also provides for live primetime coverage of the league's playoffs, including the 2026 LOVB Championship Match where the champions will be crowned live on USA Network.
"We're thrilled to showcase the stars of LOVB and bring women's pro volleyball to a national primetime audience on USA Network beginning this January," said Celia Kohl, SVP, Strategy & Business Development for VERSANT. "These women are Olympic medalists and collegiate champions, representing some of the best volleyball players in the world. Our partnership with LOVB is the latest example of VERSANT's commitment to highlighting premier women's sports leagues on our networks and further establishes USA Network as a destination for top-tier sports programming."
"As professional women's volleyball captures the hearts of fans around the world, we couldn't imagine a better partner than VERSANT to help take the sport to the next level. With its deep Olympic heritage and proven track record in women's sports, VERSANT is uniquely positioned to amplify the reach of our league and showcase the incredible talent of our athletes," said Peter Hirschmann, LOVB Executive Chairman and Co-Founder. "This agreement is more than airtime - it's about creating a stage worthy of the athletes and communities who are driving volleyball to become America's next major league."
LOVB is unique to American sport as the first youth-to-pro league in the U.S. and has quickly amassed a passionate following of fans around the globe. The league's teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison (Wis.), Nebraska, and Salt Lake boast some of the most renowned and star-studded talent around the globe. Season 2 looks to raise the bar on talent, with 23 Olympic medals and 20% of athletes having Olympic experience. LOVB features many former collegiate superstars. With multiple national champions and 101 All-American honors on its roster, LOVB has quickly built a devoted fan base in its first season.
"VERSANT's commitment ensures that women's volleyball has the platform it deserves - consistent, national primetime coverage that reflects the caliber of our athletes and the passion of our fans," said Raquel Braun, Chief Media Officer for LOVB. "By bringing LOVB into millions of homes each week, we're not only expanding the reach of the sport but also inspiring the next generation and strengthening the communities that have fueled volleyball's rise across the country."
The full 2026 LOVB Match of the Week schedule on USA Network will be announced later this year.
LOVB joins VERSANT's expansive women's professional sports portfolio. Golf Channel is the home of the LPGA Tour, providing roughly 500 hours of coverage of more than 30 events annually. USA Network also begins its relationship with the WNBA in 2026, providing live coverage of regular season and postseason games beginning in May.
About VERSANT
VERSANT, Comcast Corporation's (NASDAQ: CMCSA) planned spin-off, will be a leading independent publicly traded media company comprised of most of NBCUniversal's cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. The well-capitalized company will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content. The spin-off is expected to be completed during 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions.
About League One Volleyball (LOVB)
Founded in 2020, the League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced "love") mission is to reimagine the future of volleyball. With a unique community up approach, LOVB is one holistic ecosystem - from club to pro. The only youth-to-pro league in American sports, LOVB is the largest community of youth clubs in the country, and its professional league features some of the world's most elite players. For more information on LOVB, its clubs, its pro league that starts in January 2026, and its professional teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Nebraska, and Salt Lake, please visit www.lovb.com or on social channels like Instagram.
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