118 countries worldwide to follow Europes biggest volleyball competition

2017 CEV Men’s European Volleyball Championship begins this evening in the incredible setting of the PGE National Stadium; fans in Europe and beyond will follow the action

Zug, Switzerland - Volleyball fans across the world are counting the hours until the start of the 2017 Men’s CEV European Volleyball Championship, which gets underway tonight in the spectacular surroundings of Poland’s cities Warsaw and Kraków.

The competition will open with two matches at 17:30 CET, before the much anticipated match between Poland and Serbia at 20:30 CET in front of 65,407 fans at PGE National Stadium in Warsaw. Millions more will be able to follow the action on TV and radio, thanks to media rights negotiated by Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, and worldwide media rights partner of the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV).

The competition, in which the 16 top volleyball teams in Europe will vie for the title of European Champion, will be broadcast in 118 countries, via 34 TV broadcasters and six radio stations. Televised content will come from Polsat, one of Poland's biggest television channels and the host broadcaster selected by Infront.

New broadcast agreements for the 2017 tournament have been secured with L’Équipe that will offer free-to-air coverage in France and Kwesé in the Sub-Saharan region. Volleyball coverage in host country Poland is ensured through an agreement with the Host Broadcaster Polsat. Agreements with further popular volleyball markets include: RAI (Italy), Match TV (Russia), RTS and Arena Sport (Serbia), SPORT1 (Germany), TVE (Spain), VRT (Belgium), YLE (Finland), NOS (the Netherlands), BNT (Bulgaria), Kanal 2 (Estonia) and ESPN (Brazil).

Global distribution - no fan left unserved

For both, the Men’s as well as the Women’s Championships (starting 22 September), transmission and content distribution have been planned on CEV’s official YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels as well as through CEV’s website. Therefore, Infront and the CEV are able to offer a total global distribution of the tournaments to fans around the world on the devices where they spend their time. The rich live digital streaming and deep highlights offerings on a diversity of digital platforms allow every fan to be close to the event and their stars. The digital content will be managed by Infront and targets especially the younger generations, so no fan is left unserved. Anyone, anywhere, can watch the event as long as they have a TV or internet connection on their smartphone or other device.

Aleksandar Boričić, President of the CEV, is confident all the hard work will lead to a truly memorable event: “The opening evening of the 2017 CEV Men’s European Volleyball Championship promises to be truly unforgettable. There could be no better setting than Warsaw’s PGE National Stadium, which will be transformed from its usual role as a football stadium into the best possible backdrop for a wonderful opening ceremony and some spectacular volleyball. Fans worldwide are in for a real treat, both with this first game and with all the others that will follow.”

Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sports at Infront: “Partnering with the CEV for more than two decades, the CEV European Volleyball Championship is always a fast, exciting and fiercely fought competition. This year’s championship promises to be particularly special, thanks to the much anticipated match between Poland and Serbia being held in front of more than 65,000 spectators - the atmosphere will be absolutely magical. I know volleyball fans around the world won’t want to miss a moment of the action of any of the games and, thanks to the extensive media rights negotiated by Infront, they won’t have to.”

Action begins with spectacular opening ceremony

The CEV European Volleyball Championship takes place every two years. A total of 36 matches will make up the 2017 men’s competition, with the winner to be crowned following the final on 3 September 2017 in Kraków’s Tauron Arena. The defending champions are France, who won the 2015 edition hosted in Bulgaria and Italy.

Before the sporting action begins, there will be the opening ceremony to enjoy. Two bands, a duo, and no less than 180 dancers are getting ready to perform in this impressive show, which starts at 18:30 CET.

Meanwhile, more than 750 people have been working around the clock to ensure the PGE National Stadium – home to Poland’s national football team – is ready to welcome performers, spectators and players. A completely new infrastructure has been created inside, necessitating the use of 86 trucks, 35 winches and a lift.

The 2017 CEV Women’s European Volleyball Championship will follow on 22 September and conclude with the final on 1 October 2017 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

About Infront Sports & Media

Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the most respected sports marketing companies in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.

About Wanda Sports

Wanda Sports is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media & marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Led by President & Vice Chairman Philippe Blatter, Wanda Sports incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.