The latest media company to secure live sports rights also wants to sell its viewers on playing the sport.
QVC, the live shopping-focused operator of channels and streaming services, has cut a wide-ranging deal with USA Pickleball, including rights to stream its tournaments throughout the year, as well as the USA Pickleball Nationals tournament each November.
QVC will stream the live pickleball matches on the QVC+ and HSN+ streaming services, and the company will have a significant presence at this year’s Nationals, to be held next month in Mesa, Arizona.
The company will also, of course, sell its viewers on pickleball. Quite literally. QVC is planning a range of “curated shoppable entertainment” around the matches, including behind-the-scenes programming and content, and it has created a pickleball shopping collection featuring equipment for the sport, athletic apparel, accessories like water bottles and smart watches, and other goods.
Why pickleball? Putting aside the obvious fact that the rights were available, QVC notes that it has leaned in to program specifically toward women over 50 … a demographic that overlaps nicely with pickleball’s recreational appeal.
“At QVC, we’re leading the way in changing how retail and entertainment see women over 50, empowered and full of possibility, and celebrating this next chapter in their lives as the Age of Possibility along with our Q50 Ambassadors, like [pickleball champion] Jennifer Dawson,” said Annette Dunleavy, VP of brand marketing for QVC. “We’re always looking to support women 50+, and pickleball is quickly becoming one of the most played sports among this age group.”
USA Pickleball, meanwhile, gets national exposure with a particular emphasis on a group that is likely to play, with CEO Mike Nealy declaring that the deal means “a vibrant future for the sport.”
“Having our 2024 USA Pickleball Biofreeze National Championships streamed on the QVC+ and HSN+ streaming experience is an opportunity to showcase the incredible talent of our members and bring the excitement of pickleball to the global stage,” he added.
