ESPN Secures Broadcast Rights to International Beach Volleyball Event in 2017

As part of a new collaborative effort to grow the sport of beach volleyball at the highest level, Management Plus Enterprises, the creators and owners of The WORLD SERIES OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL (WSOBV) announced that ESPN will telecast the internationally recognized and FIVB sanctioned WSOBV "President's Cup" that takes place in Long Beach, Calif., from July 13-16, 2017. The President's Cup features the top eight beach volleyball teams from the USA, including three-time gold medalist, Kerri Walsh Jennings, competing against the eight best international teams in the world, including current reigning Olympic gold medalists Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst from Germany.

The matches will air on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, and will stream live on ESPN3 via WatchESPN and the ESPN app. ESPN's telecast of the event will kick off the start of a new relationship with MPE, in which the network will support MPE's new initiative to expand the WSOBV platform by developing a minimum of three major tent pole beach volleyball events that will take place in the summer of 2018 and be telecast by ESPN.

"Volleyball is the number one participation sport in the United States among girls ages 12-21 and the fastest growing NCAA sport in history. With over 17 million participants in the US and approximately 500 million worldwide, volleyball's popularity and reach is increasing at staggering rates and it has the strong potential to draw a large-scale viewing audience," said Leonard Armato, CEO of Management Plus Enterprises. "Working with ESPN to showcase a Triple Crown event on their networks and raise the profile of the sport and its athletes will be just the first step in harnessing beach volleyball's high growth potential, especially as a women's sport."

Added Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president, programming and scheduling: "ESPN takes pride in cultivating a robust, diverse programming portfolio across all of our platforms, and we're pleased to enhance that with The WORLD SERIES OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL President's Cup. The athletes involved make this a first-class event and the high level of competition will be compelling content for our viewers."

Management Plus Enterprises' WSOBV event established a scalable model for creating a flagship event that elevated visibility for the sport by combining the highest level of competition with pop culture components including music, tribal participation, art, food and beach lifestyle. MPE will look to add on to the current WSOBV event and create a Federal International Volleyball (FIVB) sanctioned Triple Crown series that engages fans on an ongoing basis, building the profile for players chasing the championship Triple Crown prize and allowing fans to follow all the action on ESPN.

Now in its fifth year, WSOBV has grown to be the largest ever all-encompassing beach volleyball event in the United States featuring thousands of players and professional, junior and amateur matches. The globally-recognized event will debut a new "Cup" format giving spectators the chance to see the best professional players such as American favorites Walsh Jennings, Sara Hughes, April Ross and Phil Dalhausser, whose teams will be matched against top teams from around the world. The format will ensure a USA / international matchup in the finals. ESPN schedule (subject to change):

Date	Time (ET)	Event	Network
Thu, Jul 13	1-8:30 p.m.	Pool Play	ESPN3
Fri, Jul 14	12-9 p.m.	Pool Play/Quarterfinals	ESPN3
	5-7 p.m.	Women's Quarterfinals	ESPN2
Sat, Jul 15	1-11:30 p.m.	Women's Semifinals/Bronze	ESPN3
	1-2 p.m.	Women's Semifinals	ESPN2
	11:30 p.m.-1 a.m.	Women's Gold	ESPN
Sun, Jul 16	4:15-7:30 p.m.	Men's Bronze/Gold	ESPN3
	12-1 p.m. ET/3-4 p.m. PT	Women's Gold (Encore)	ABC
Mon, Jul 17	1-2:30 a.m.	Men's Gold (TV Premiere)	ESPN2
	9-10 p.m.	Women's Gold (Encore)	ESPN2
Tue, Jul 18	11 p.m.-12 a.m.	Men's Gold (Encore)	ESPN2

Armato envisions building on the momentum of WSOBV by creating a platform for beach volleyball that will serve as a powerful women's sports initiative and a force in establishing gender equality in sports. Each tournament will combine professional and youth beach volleyball at the highest level and include showcases for Walsh Jennings - the sport's biggest star.

"This event is the biggest and best event the USA has ever seen and has more heart and soul than any event I've played in outside of the Olympic Games. I look forward to it every year and love bringing home Gold for the USA," said Walsh Jennings.

This year the National Volleyball League announced it will officially kick off its 2017 season at the WSOBV, a move that cements a future relationship between the NVL and WSOBV, who recently announced the two have created a strategic partnership focused on collaborating on events that will support MPE's mission of expanding the reach of beach volleyball. For more information, visit www.WSOBV.com.

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