NBC SPORTS GROUP AND AVP PRO BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOUR ANNOUNCE MEDIA PARTNERSHIP

NBC Sports Group To Present More Than 17 Hours of AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Coverage in 2015 on NBC and NBCSN

All AVP on NBC Telecasts to be Live Streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra

Stamford, Conn. - April 6, 2015 - NBC Sports Group and the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Pro Beach Volleyball Tour today announced a media rights agreement for AVP tournaments to be televised on NBC and NBCSN, and live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra.

The agreement returns the country's premier professional beach volleyball tour, entering its 33rd year, to the network that first televised the AVP 25 years ago. It also marks the most comprehensive media partnership in Tour history and will include broadcast, cable and digital components for the first time.

"We are pleased to welcome the AVP back home on NBC," said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN. "The AVP and beach volleyball have a long history with NBC Sports, and we will leverage the full collection of our broadcast, cable and online platforms of the NBC Sports Group to document the great stories, competition and personalities of the AVP's athletes. With less than 500 days until the start of the Rio Olympics, we are excited to increase our coverage of this fan favorite Olympic sport."

"We are very pleased to return the AVP Tour and its elite athletes to NBC Sports Group's multiple platforms, and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership that brings the unparalleled excitement of AVP tournaments into fans' living rooms on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer," said AVP Managing Partner Donald Sun. "As the 2016 Rio Games approach, this comprehensive new partnership gives us the perfect platform to further showcase beach volleyball to a national audience."

The agreement calls for 17.5 hours of coverage in 2015, 10 on NBC and 7.5 on NBCSN, plus live streaming on NBC Sports Live Extra. Coverage will include the men's and women's finals of all seven regular-season tournaments. In addition, NBC and NBCSN will feature the finals and early-round coverage of an AVP-run tournament on the international FIVB (Federation International de Volleyball) Tour within the United States. Encore presentations of select telecasts will air on Universal Sports Network.

Coverage will run from May-September, beginning with the AVP's season-opening event in New Orleans, La., over Memorial Day weekend. The AVP's complete 2015 tour schedule can be found at avp.com. NBC Sports Group's telecast schedule will be released at a later date.

The AVP is the exclusive domestic beach volleyball home of the nation's top athletes, including Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh-Jennings (2004, 2008, 2012), Phil Dalhausser (2008) and Todd Rogers (2008); Olympic silver medalist April Ross (2012); two-time Olympians Jake Gibb (2008, 2012) and Sean Rosenthal (2008, 2012); and Olympian Nicole Branagh (2008). The tour also features many up-and-coming stars who are helping build the future of the sport, such as Casey Patterson, Theo Brunner, Tri Bourne, Summer Ross, Emily Day, Lane Carico and 2014 Newcomers of the Year Trevor Crabb and Amanda Dowdy.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP

When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 10 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

ABOUT THE AVP

Established in 1983, the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) produces, markets and distributes volleyball events worldwide, including the popular AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. While promoting family-oriented events and supporting a healthy lifestyle, the AVP is best known for its world-class athletes, who have won numerous Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Olympic games. The AVP headquarters are in Costa Mesa, Calif.