Lausanne, Switzerland, November 6, 2019 – The 2019 FIVB Volleyball World Cup captured the hearts and minds of volleyball fans across the world as the FIVB’s digital engagement and media coverage soared on all channels.
The Brazil national men’s team went 11 matches undefeated to secure the title, while China matched this incredible feat, remaining unbeaten throughout the women’s edition to defend their 2015 success. Amazing performances from both teams were captured throughout the event and provided inspiring footage which was shared and streamed across the globe.
The FIVB Volleyball World Cup united the volleyball world, with more than 235 million minutes of live-action, highlights and clips watched. In total, the event secured a global audience of 96 million views.
In total, the 2019 FIVB World Cup recorded 455 million digital impressions and more than 14 million fan engagements.
Throughout the 2019 FIVB World Cup, 10 videos reached more than one million views on YouTube, with the most viewed match taking place between Japan and Italy on day one of the men’s tournament.
Host broadcaster Fuji TV announced that, during World Cup matches, volleyball recorded 10-12% of the country’s total TV audience. In addition, stadiums were sold-out for all of the Japan women’s team matches, and reached at least 75% capacity for all other afternoon fixtures.
Over the men’s and women’s events, the FIVB World Cup was the subject of almost 31,000 online articles and 1,559 posts, which generated more than 40 billion in potential media reach, while the FIVB’s own website registered 4.25 million hits.
Commenting on the huge success of the FIVB Volleyball World Cup in Japan, FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said:
“The impressive numbers from the FIVB Volleyball World Cup show just how volleyball has captured the hearts and minds of fans all over the world.
“Fan engagement and experience is a huge priority for the FIVB, and I am delighted that fans have been responding positively to our efforts, whether that is in-stadium or digitally. It is wonderful to see that more people of all ages and backgrounds are joining the Volleyball Family.”
Relive some of the best moments from the 2019 FIVB World Cup below:
One of the most-liked Instagram pictures during the FIVB World Cup coverage was an image of Canadian setter Brett Walsh shaking hands with the Tunisian men’s team despite sustaining an injury. The image received more than 44,850 likes and encouraged fans to send their well-wishes to Walsh.
This enthralling rally during a tight match between Japan and Brazil was one of the most engaged-with posts on Twitter!
An amazing save from Poland’s Michal Kubiak, who went the extra mile to keep the ball alive and eventually led to Poland winning the point. This post was picked up and shared by many external platforms, amplifying its reach and engagement all over the world.
Fans around the world paid tribute to one of Tunisia’s most experienced players, Hosni Kara Mosly, who announced his retirement after the team’s last match at the World Cup.
Instagram captured an iconic image that reinforces the FIVB’s vision of volleyball to be the world’s number one family sport. The image features two of the most experienced players of the World Cup who may be rivals on the court but remain great friends off it. Both players, Kim Yeon Koung and Fabiana Claudino, commented on the post and also shared with their own followers.
Appearing in his first FIVB World Cup, Brazil’s Alan Souza quickly became a household name with a run of fantastic performances that led to Brazil’s third FIVB World Cup triumph.
After being named MVP of the 2019 Volleyball Nations League earlier this year, the USA’s Annie Drews delivered another dominant performance during the FIVB World Cup.
Not only have China won back-to-back women’s World Cups, but the trophy was received by their captain, and back-to-back MVP, Zhu Ting.
One of the most viewed Instagram videos during the FIVB World Cup coverage featured Japan’s Yuji Nishida, who was eventually named as the tournament’s Best Opposite. The video was liked more than 355,000 times!
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