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AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Strikes Media Deals With Universal Sports and Comcast's Regional Sports Networks

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 June 2009, 11:29 CDT

Universal Sports to Broadcast Live Semifinal Matches

LOS ANGELES, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- AVP Pro Beach Volleyball today announced two new media agreements with Universal Sports and selected Comcast regional sports networks to televise men's and women's beach volleyball events for the remainder of the 2009 season. The deals mark the fourth and fifth outlets that will air AVP events this season, along with other sports powerhouses NBC Sports, Fox Sports Network and VERSUS.

"Universal Sports and Comcast's regional sports networks extend our reach to the American public and our fans," said Jason Hodell, CEO, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball. "We're very pleased to be partnering with them to ensure viewers catch as much tour action as possible."

Universal Sports, available in more than 45 million homes, will show the semi-finals live for events in Coney Island, Hermosa Beach and the Cup Championship in Chicago as a pre-cursor to the finals airing on NBC Sports. UniversalSports.com will also live stream each semi-final event on their website, with on-demand video of each match available for two weeks after the event airs. Universal Sports will offer re-airs of the finals after they are shown on NBC Sports.

"These semi-final events are a great complement to world class beach volleyball events already available on our network," said Carlos Silva, President, Universal Sports. "Fans won't miss any of the excitement leading up to the finals on NBC Sports."

Comcast's regional sports networks in Atlanta, Chicago, New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, Philadelphia, Portland OR, Sacramento, and San Francisco will re-air at least ten of the AVP Crocs Tour events that will originally air on the VERSUS Network, reaching close to 35 million viewers across their regional platform.

In addition to the expanded network and cable television broadcasts, which add up to approximately 120 hours of television programming, fans will be able to catch AVP Crocs Tour events streaming live online at www.AVP.com. Select events may also re-air online at UniversalSports.com.

About AVP, Inc.:

AVP, Inc. is a leading lifestyle sports entertainment company focused on the production, marketing and distribution of professional beach volleyball events worldwide. One of the fastest growing entities in the sports world, the AVP operates two of the industry's most prominent national outdoor touring series, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour (1983) and the AVP Hot Winter Nights Indoor Tour (launched in 2008). The AVP is set to stage more than 35 events throughout the United States in 2009 and features more than 150 of the top men and women competitors in the sport. AVP athletes won both the women's and men's gold medals at the 2008 Games in Beijing, marking the first gold medal sweep by a single country in the history of Olympic Beach Volleyball. AVP is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. For more information, please visit www.avp.com.

About Universal Sports:

Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related and lifestyle sports programming available on television and online. Universal Sports is now available in nine of the top 10 DMAs including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Recent expansion includes launches in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and Jacksonville. Go to UniversalSports.com for a complete list of TV markets. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing, speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.tv.

About Comcast Sports Group

Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that deliver 2,400 sporting events annually and sports news and analysis to 40 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast Sports Group's networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. - Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS. Comcast Sports Group also manages The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming. For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

SOURCE AVP Pro Beach Volleyball

Source: PR Newswire

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