CBS Sports and the Pro Volleyball Federation have expanded and extended their media partnership in a move that will put women’s pro volleyball on a nationwide broadcast for the first time.
The PVF announced this week that one regular season match will be seen on CBS Television Network nationally. That’s a major coup for the league, which is competing with Athlete Unlimited and League One Volleyball to establish itself as the premier women’s pro league in the United States.
CBS Sports Network, which is available to portions of the country in some sports cable packages, will show 20 regular season matches in 2025.
The PVF begins its second season in mid-January of 2025. For the second straight season, CBS Sports will produce and broadcast the semifinals and finals. This deal is being called a multi-year agreement, and the inclusion of a nationally televised match lifts the PVF to a status its competing leagues have not achieved.
“PVF offers the best in women’s professional volleyball, delivering exciting matches and a passionate growing fanbase,” Billy Stone of CBS Sports said in a press release. “The expansion of this partnership bolsters CBS Sports’ robust lineup of programming and underscores our commitment to showcasing high-level women’s sports across our platforms.”
Last season, most regular season matches were available on YouTube, produced by the league itself. CBS Sports provided broadcasts of the two semifinals matches and finals in May.
“This expanded deal is yet another way our league is increasing visibility for the sport,” said PVF CHief Executive Officer Jen Spicher. “In just our second season, we’ve expanded televised matches, added new teams, and increased the number of games played. It’s thrilling to see PVF driving the national growth of volleyball and bringing the sport to a wider audience than ever before.”
The PVF played its inaugural season with seven teams. The 2025 season will feature an additional team: the Indy Ignite. The league had originally promised three new teams, but two expansion franchises are in question and will not play in 2025.
