Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball Expands Media Reach

Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball (Asics WSOBV) has partnered with Horizon Media to expand and engage audiences for the largest international beach volleyball event in the world outside of the Olympic Games.

A trio of the agency specialty practices, including Scout Sports and Entertainment, InsideOut and Bungalow Horizon, will work with organizers to bring a new level of viewership and engagement to the third annual Asics WSOBV, which will be held August 18 to 23 in Long Beach, CA and broadcast nationally on NBC and NBCSN.

"We are excited to partner with Horizon to further expand the reach of the Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball, which has proven extremely popular among fans in our first two years," said Leonard Armato, founder of Asics WSOBV. "The tournament and accompanying beach festival were a huge success last year, and with our event serving as the last official qualifier in the U.S. before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, we know there will be significant interest this summer."

Horizon's sports and entertainment marketing practice, Scout Sports and Entertainment, is spearheading the partnership, being responsible for all sponsorship assets and analysis. InsideOut, Horizon's live event production unit, has been tasked with event facilitation and production, while Bungalow Horizon, the agency's branded content production division, will produce the unscripted content for the week-long telecast.

"We are thrilled to participate in the creation of a new multiplatform event that captures both the DNA of beach lifestyle, combined with a highly recognized competitive sports platform," said Robert Friedman, CEO of Bungalow Horizon.

"I have focused on joint ventures and acquisitions to further build out the agency-owned event and content production capabilities to provide content ownership opportunities for our clients," said Bill Koenigsberg, president, founder and CEO of Horizon Media. "Horizon is an integrated media powerhouse with capabilities beyond our core media planning, buying and activation. Collaborating with the Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball allows our clients to engage audiences in new ways."

"We are thrilled to be partnering with such a world class property as the Asics WSOBV," said Jon Venison, founding partner, InsideOut Sports and Entertainment. "I look forward to working together to bring maximum production value to the project for many years to come."

CELEBRATING 'ALL THINGS BEACH'

The Asics WSOBV is a ground-breaking, week-long sports and lifestyle festival celebrating "all things beach," including sports, music, culture and community.

This unprecedented event brings more than 128 of the world's top beach volleyball players and their fans together in a way that's never been seen in the world of professional sports. With free general admission every day of the event, it's a great opportunity for fans to see players in action, while enjoying a free-admission music festival and beach-community environment.

"Partnership with the Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball provides our clients with an incredible opportunity to hold a true ownership position in a multiplatform lifestyle event," said Michael Neuman, managing partner, Scout Sports and Entertainment, a part of Horizon Media. "We are thrilled to help elevate this global sport and lifestyle event to an even bigger stage."

An official FIVB Grand Slam event broadcast on NBC and NBCSN, the Asics WSOBV garnered more than 2.2 million domestic TV viewers (10 million globally) and over 750 million media impressions in 2014.

While volleyball superstars such as three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross and Phil Dalhausser take center stage at the Asics WSOBV, players of all skill levels and ages will have the opportunity to compete in co-ed and single gender four and six-man, youth and collegiate tournaments throughout the week.

For more information about the Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball, visit www.wsobv.com.