Thomas Wilson prepares to face Ross Huey in the first round of the professional men's doubles match at the 2023 BioFreeze U.S. Pickleball National Championship at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, Texas on November 8, 2023 Ross Whittaker and Christopher Haworth bat.
Bruce Young | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
QVCThe owner of the television and streaming home shopping network has signed a deal with USA Pickleball to bring the sport to its platform.
Through a multi-year partnership, QVC has acquired exclusive rights to USA Pickleball, the sport's national governing body. The agreement begins with USA Pickleball's 2024 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championship in November, which will be broadcast on QVC's free streaming platform QVC+/HSN+.
QVC, a subsidiary of John Malone's Qurate Retail Group, will integrate the shopping experience with live competition. As part of the partnership, QVC will also become USA Pickleball's exclusive retail industry partner.
The deal demonstrates the media industry's continued appeal to live sports, which attracts some of the largest audiences on traditional television and streaming.
In QVC's case, the choice to introduce pickleball was intentional.
Annette Dunleavy, vice president of brand marketing at QVC, said that earlier this year, QVC launched a new brand platform called “Age of Possibility”, specially launched for women over 50 years old.
“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States and it really resonates with this population,” Dunleavy said. “We thought these were two perfect partners to come together. We hope to work with them to bring the sport to life for our audiences in a different and unique way.”
Pickleball is booming in the United States and is known as the fastest growing sport in the country. According to QVC and USA Pickleball, more than 5 million women over the age of 45 are actively involved in the sport.
Pickleball courts are popping up in major cities across America.
As QVC builds out its streaming platform, it has been experimenting with live shows and events, including its “Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge” series and actress Busy Philipps' late-night talk show “Busy This Week.”
“When you look at the media examples that are relevant and very successful, they're all live sports,” said Stacie Tedesco, vice president of streaming at Qurate Retail Group. “This is really the next perfect place to go.”