Pro Volleyball Federation update: TV partner, Vibe signings, news and notes
The Pro Volleyball Federation took a significant first step toward spreading the word to potential new fans by signing a multiyear deal with CBS Sports. A little more a month before the PVF’s inaugural season launches on January 24, the league announced last week that a minimum of 10 regular-season matches, as well as the […]
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The Pro Volleyball Federation took a significant first step toward spreading the word to potential new fans by signing a multiyear deal with CBS Sports.
A little more a month before the PVF’s inaugural season launches on January 24, the league announced last week that a minimum of 10 regular-season matches, as well as the playoff semifinals and championship, will be telecast on national TV. The cable channel CBS Sports Network will be the primary home.
“This is another groundbreaking day in the history of Pro Volleyball Federation,” league co-founder Dave Whinham said in a release. “In CBS Sports we have a great partner that believes in the growth of women’s professional volleyball in North America.”
CBS Sports Network is a third-tier option on most cable systems and does not subscribe to the Nielsen ratings survey, so nailing down how many potential eyeballs it might “reach” is problematic. The best information out there is that in 2015, CBSSN had about 61 million subscribers and was available in 61.1% of TV households with cable.
However, the TV landscape has undergone a sea change of “cord-cutting” since then. Even cable sports megapower ESPN, a top-tier channel on virtually all systems, is down to 70.2 million subscribers as of December 2023, so 61% of that figure would put CBSSN’s reach at 42.8 million, roughly 38% of the United States’ 125 million TV homes. That calculation is purely hypothetical, but it would put CBSSN in the ballpark with other all-sports channels such as Fox Sports 2 (51 million), ESPNU (49.9 million) and Big Ten Network (47.5 million) that are monitored in the Nielsen ratings.
The PVF joins a lineup on CBS Sports Network that includes a whole lot of international soccer (including the Champions League, Italian Serie A and the Scottish Premier League), college football and basketball, the Professional Bull Riders tour (a staple for more than a decade), Athletes Unlimited softball, strongman competitions (including World’s Strongest Man), auto racing such as the World of Outlaws, PWBA bowling, Major League Fishing, Karate Combat, the Elite Trades Championship Series and poker (World Series of Poker and Poker Masters). As that list shows, CBSSN pretty much is a dumping ground for second-tier content, what in the nascent days of ESPN during a less polite time lovingly was referred to as “trash sport.”
I’ve seen a smattering of pushback from fans on social media about the PFV’s being unable to land on a more high-profile national platform. But the reality is that a startup league needs to walk before it runs. The folks running the PVF are experienced hands in the sports business and this likely was the partnership that made the most financial sense.
No rights fees were mentioned in the release issued by the PVF, so a strong likelihood exists that the deal is a “time buy,” considered a necessary expense to give the league exposure to casual viewers on a traditional linear TV platform. The release referred to “opportunities for matches to also be aired on CBS throughout the term of the partnership,” but the possibility of seeing the PVF on the over-the-air network in this debut year seems remote.
Still in limbo (with the clocking ticking on the season’s start) are what the PVF will do for league-wide streaming, and what TV/streaming options the individual franchises might nail down. The PVF indicated in the release that announcements on those key matters will be forthcoming. Heavily invested volleyball fans no doubt eagerly await the news about streaming, their platform of choice.
Orlando Valkyries coach/vice president of volleyball operations Amy Pauly told VolleyballMag.com on Friday that the PVF’s national TV deal was “a step in the right direction.”
“I’m happy to see one of our broadcast partners (was) officially announced,” Pauly said. “Having 10 matches on (a CBS Sports channel) is a step in the right direction for our sport and it means a lot that they are providing the platform for our league. More broadcast partnerships will be announced soon which will shed light on how people will be able to tune in, both locally and nationally.”
Vibe pick up ex-Stanford star
The Atlanta Vibe added to their depth at outside hitter by signing Meghan McClure-Jemison, who has been away from competitive volleyball by choice since the spring of 2021.
McClure-Jemison was a three-time VolleyballMag.com honorable-mention All-American during her career at Stanford and helped the Cardinal win NCAA titles in 2018 and ‘19. We featured her in 2021.
She will go into the Vibe’s training camp aiming to earn a spot in a stacked OH group that includes Leah Edmond, Alli Linnehan and Leketor Member-Meneh (former Pitt All-American). Ex-Kentucky teammates Edmond and Linnehan recently finished first and second on the leaderboard in the pro Athletes Unlimited season.
“When I graduated, playing pro volleyball in America was not an option – and I wanted to stay in the country – so having the opportunity to be a part of the first season of pro volleyball here is such a full-circle moment for me,” the 6-foot McClure-Jemison told VolleyballMag.com.
“This is so exciting and getting to play with Morgan Hentz again was just too good to pass up. I love volleyball. I’m so passionate about it, and I can’t wait to get back into the thick of it all.”
Ex-Stanford teammate Hentz, the libero extraordinaire who is cast as a foundational player in the nascent PVF, was instrumental in connecting Meghan with the Vibe.
“Morgan was the signed-sealed-and-delivered part of this whole thing,” McClure-Jemison said. “It’s impossible to say anything but yes if Morgan Hentz asks you to come play with her. She called me and said they were looking for an outside. It all came together really fast.”
Somewhat disheartened by a fourth season at Stanford that included health issues during the COVID pandemic, McClure-Jemison chose to end her collegiate career despite having an additional year of eligibility.
“I took a pretty healthy break from volleyball after that COVID season, which had been really challenging,” she said. “I needed to step away from volleyball for a while.”
Between then and now, Meghan launched her career as a special-ed teacher, working with kindergarten through eighth-grade students at a school in Memphis, where she also coached volleyball.
“The school had no girls sports as of last year, so I started its volleyball program,” she said. “I taught at an under-resourced school, and was coaching mostly fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. I had one girl who had played any sort of sport before, which was eye-opening because I had played sports since basically I could walk. Working with these kids was an incredibly rewarding and enlightening experience.”
McClure-Jemison is eager to help the Vibe however she can. This is her first shot at the pay-for-play ranks, but she will need to land one of the 14 jobs on the regular roster because she is not eligible for the two “practice player” spots reserved for drafted college rookies.
“I know I’m coming in with maybe a little rust, but I told (Coach Todd Dagenais) that I believe is being the best teammate possible,” Meghan said. “I believe in my skills and my training, and I know that I will be able to play at a high level. If my role on this team is to be the best practice possible and prepare my teammates to play against our opponents, I will accept that and be the absolute best I can be in it. I’m there for the team in whatever capacity they want me to fill.
“I am confident that as I keep playing and practicing, getting back in the swing of things, my passing and defense usually find their way to be impactful to the team.”
— The Atlanta club also brought aboard Kacie Evans, an undrafted rookie with local appeal, to vie for an outside-hitter spot when training camp opens on January 1. The 5-foot-11 Evans was an AVCA third-team All-American in 2022, three-time All-SEC and the 2019 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year for Georgia. Ringing up 2,057 points and 1,127 digs during her five-year career, Kacie helped the Bulldogs earn NCAA Tournament bids in 2019, ‘22 and ‘23.
PVF liberos won’t serve
In an accord reached by the coaches of the league’s seven teams, liberos will not be eligible to serve in PVF matches. That conforms with international rules, but differs from what fans see during NCAA competition, when the designated back-row special can serve in one rotation for a player replaced.
The league has modified the international rule regarding substitutions per set. The PVF will allow each team eight substitutions per set (with a one-time in-and-out limit per player). That’s two more subs per set than in international competitions and seven fewer than in NCAA matches.
“Our coaches felt that moving to eight subs would allow a few more back row and serving substitutions, which in turn gives us more opportunities to showcase all the players on our roster and make the matches more competitive,” the Valkyries’ Pauly told VBM.
In other PVF happenings
The Valkyries have been gung-ho on “grassroots marketing” during the holiday season and even when the team gathers for its three-week training block after the New Year, Pauly said. “We have been, and will continue, to stop by local clubs,” she noted “We’ll be attending the Under Armour NEXT event that our arena, Addition Financial (on the UCF campus), is the host of.”
The kicker will come when the Orlando team holds a Fan Day on January 20, six days before it opens the season at home against the Vibe. “People can see our new court, interact with our team, and participate in a lot of giveaways for tickets during the season,” Pauly said.
— The PVF has made VolleyStation its official data management partner. VolleyStation’s centralized system will assist the league in creating a database of teams, players and matches. A release said that statistical material “will be pushed in real time to both teams, websites and the media, and can seamlessly integrate with television broadcast outlets to allow for in-depth analysis during a match.” Fans can access “live scoring” through the league’s website at ProVolleyball.com.
— Rules regarding the PVF college draft have been clarified. Drafting teams will retain league rights to players they pick for two years if those players choose not to sign with them. Players who sign contracts are bound to the team for the length of the deal. If a drafted player with remaining college eligibility opts to return to school, the drafting team loses its rights and the player could be chosen in the subsequent draft.
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