Please mind the gap

The GIST: The Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) is gearing up for its second year ahead of next week’s draft. In an exclusive with The GIST today, PVF announced an extension of its media rights agreement with CBS through a multiyear deal that includes increased match coverage and cable air time — a historic first for women’s pro volleyball.

• PVF CEO Jen Spicher spoke with The GIST yesterday about the league’s growth in its first season and what’s on the horizon for the next one. Killin’ it.

How it works: PVF’s inaugural season ran from this January through May with seven teams playing a total of 84 regular-season matches, plus two semifinal games and a championship. This differs from Athletes Unlimited (AU)’s condensed tournament format and LOVB’s round robin schedule.

• Also unlike AU and LOVB, individual team owners control PVF clubs, and these motivated investors were able to offer uniquely high salaries of up to $125K in year one. In 2025, increased financial commitments will allow the league to level up: Dallas, Indianapolis, and Kansas City are landing new teams, and players will earn up to $175K.

The numbers: Volleyball is the fastest-growing team sport in the U.S. in terms of high school girls participation, which has translated into interest at the pro level. In its first year, overall PVF attendance was just under 400K, while 3.9M viewers streamed matches on YouTube. No weak sides here.

The deal: Last December, CBS became the league’s first media partner with a commitment to air at least 10 regular-season matches on CBS Sports Network. In its latest extension, the network will air up to 20 games with an additional matchup scheduled for CBS’ flagship channel — the first time a pro volleyball match will air on cable, a successful strategy in growing audiences for women’s sports.

• Spicher also mentioned the PVF is in talks to finalize other media rights agreements, but the league does already have an agreement with Bally Live and Stadium. Last year, a minimum 40 games aired on the Bally Live app, while Stadium hosted 20 “Match of the Week” broadcasts.

Lingering questions: As of now, PVF only boasts a handful of corporate league partners, while local brands like Atlanta’s Coca-Cola and Emory Healthcare activate around teams in a more regional capacity. Will this extension with CBS help the PVF grow its fandom and drive more league-wide partners? And what will its other media rights deals look like? Watch this space.

The GIST: On Monday, nonprofit Canadian Women & Sport released the 2024 edition of its annual Rally Report, a groundbreaking study that highlights the continued gender gap in access between Canadian boys and girls in sports. The organization surveyed over 5K Canadians aged six to 65, with a specific focus on including over 2K girls aged six to 18.

The access: Similar to study findings from the U.S., the UK, and Australia, Canadian girls have less access to sports and tend to drop out of sports at higher rates than boys. Girls also slightly trail boys in organized sport participation, but these numbers have gone up since 2016.

The interest: Despite these disparities, Canadian girls are looking to get into the game: Four in 10 reported being more interested than ever in playing sports. The report found factors such as familial support, diverse coaching, and positive role models influence how and for how long girls stay in sports.

• Plus, the experiences girls have when playing sports stretch far beyond the field: Nearly half are open to careers in sports, while seven in 10 Canadian women and girls are interested in engaging with sports as fans.

The opportunity: This study shows a clear interest in sports engagement among Canadian girls and women, one that brands can activate around by working to close the gender gap in youth sports and coaching.

• Canadian companies like Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire are no strangers to sponsoring youth sports, but there are still opportunities to directly address these gaps à la Nike. These initiatives are important in shaping the next generation of athletes and creating loyal customers.

• A previous Canadian Women & Sport report showed that six in 10 fans want brands to bolster women’s sports in the country, with four in 10 saying they’re more likely to buy brands that support women’s sports — a number that jumps to five in 10 for Gen Z and young millennials. There’s no time like the present.