The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2024 wrapped up last month with a thrilling Men's VNL Finals in Łódź, Poland. This year's edition of the VNL has set new benchmarks in attendance, viewership and global engagement, underscoring the sport's rising popularity worldwide.
Impressive attendance growth
The VNL 2024 witnessed a remarkable 13% growth in attendance from 2023 and a 33% increase from 2022. The total attendance during the pool phases reached an impressive 751,000, with significant milestones including:
- A 41% increase in attendance for the Women's Finals, achieving an overall 84% sell-out rate
- The Men’s Finals have seen a 9% increase in attendance year-over-year (YoY), with a 78% sell-out rate.
- 110,000 attendees over six days at the Hong Kong VNL pool.
- A 27% rise in attendance in Japan compared to the 2023 edition.
- All home team matches sold out in Antalya (Women), Fukuoka (Women and Men), and Hong Kong (Women), reflecting the immense local support and enthusiasm for volleyball.
Record-breaking global viewership
The VNL 2024 achieved exceptional global viewership numbers, becoming one of the most-watched sports events of the year:
- China saw a cumulative audience of 268 million with 168 hours of live broadcast on CCTV. The VNL is the second highest sports broadcast in China for 2024, with peak viewership reaching 23.6 million. Four out of the top ten live sports broadcasts in China in 2024 are from the VNL.
- In Poland, a cumulative audience of 46 million tuned into the VNL, with 409 hours of live broadcast on the Polsat network. The Women's VNL match between Poland and Germany was the second highest sports programme on the channel for 2024. Nine of the top ten live sports broadcasts on the Polsat network are from this year’s VNL.
- Türkiye saw the women's match between the USA and Türkiye on TRT SPOR recorded 804,000 viewers, ranking as the second highest live sports broadcast on TRT network in 2024. The cumulative audience in the country reached 11.3 million with 240 hours of live broadcast.
- In Thailand, the match between Thailand and China on Channel 7 achieved a live average audience of 3.7 million, the highest sports audience in Thailand for 2024, with a peak of 4.6 million viewers. The cumulative audience of live broadcasts in Thailand reached 38.4 million with 53 hours of live broadcast.
- In Brazil, the Men's VNL match between Brazil and Italy attracted 2.8 million viewers, and the Women's match between Brazil and Serbia drew 2.5 million viewers on TV Globo. These matches surpassed several other major sports broadcasts. Brazil also saw a total unique reach for the VNL 2024 of 10.9m individuals, a 27% increase from 2023
VBTV continues global growth
- VBTV has also recorded significant milestones in 2024:
- A 21% increase in live viewership growth YoY
- An 83% rise in viewership for the women's finals
- Viewership split of 53.6% for women and 46.4% for men
- The most watched game this year was the women's finals, which set a new viewership record on VBTV by 38% and beat the previous women's game record by 103%
- Live viewership growth YoY in Italy reached 99%
- Live viewership growth YoY in Brazil soared by 103%
Expanding Social Media Reach
The VNL's digital presence has also seen significant growth:
- 23.3 million total engagements on social media during the VNL 2024.
- 127 million views on the Volleyball World website since the start of this year’s VNL.
Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor said:
“We are thrilled with the extraordinary success of the VNL 2024. These impressive metrics highlight the VNL's global appeal and the increasing popularity of volleyball as a premier international sport. These record-breaking figures highlight the commercial potential of volleyball as we continue to expand our reach and attract new audiences worldwide. We are committed to continuing to elevate the sport, engaging with our passionate fan base, and delivering world-class volleyball experiences that also create significant opportunities for our partners.”
For more information about the VNL, including the latest news and highlights, visit here.
