PUEBLO, Colo. ― The PBR, the world’s premier Western lifestyle sports brand, and AEG,  the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world, have joined forces to create an exciting new bull riding series, the PBR Velocity Tour.

Starting March 15, the PBR Velocity Tour will begin its inaugural season and make stops in 16-18 markets across the country. The Velocity Tour functions as part of PBR’s overall qualification system for the elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS), as do the PBR’s Touring Pro Division events and international series events in Brazil, Australia and Canada.

While the PBR’s elite BFTS features the Top 35 bull riders in the world competing at 26 regular-season events and the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas, the Velocity Tour will showcase both established and up-and-coming riders, providing a great opportunity for more fans to experience exciting PBR action in cities that aren’t currently serviced by the BFTS. It will bring the high-energy sound, lighting, special effects and, of course, the world’s best bull riding action to the most popular venues across the United States.

The tour kicks off in Hampton, Va., and will then make stops in cities such as Omaha, Neb., Salt Lake City, Utah, Los Angeles, Calif., Cincinnati, Ohio, Louisville, Ky. and Minneapolis, Minn.

Select events will be broadcast on PBR LIVE, a CBS Interactive digital broadcast platform. PBR LIVE is a partnership between the PBR and CBS Interactive, offering more than 100 digital broadcasts annually.  The Velocity Tour broadcasts on PBR LIVE represent the first time that PBR fans will be able to view a regular schedule of non-BFTS events, a long-standing request from PBR’s passionate fans.

“We’re very excited about this new venture and the opportunity to expand our business in partnership with one of the largest sports and entertainment companies in the world,†said Sean Gleason, COO of the PBR. “It’s just not possible to schedule Built Ford Tough Series events in every city that PBR fans would like us to, and this partnership will bring PBR-produced bull riding to first-class venues that would otherwise be without. The Velocity Tour is an important growth initiative for PBR as we look to expand opportunities for the best bull riders in the world – and those that want to be – and there is no better partner than AEG to make that happen.â€

The point structure will be similar to the PBR’s Touring Pro Division and will feed into the world standings and Built Ford Tough World Finals qualification. The PBR will solely produce all Velocity Tour events with dedicated and consistent resources across the entire tour.

“The PBR’s proven track record of creating world-class events is unmatched in quality of competitors and production,†said Bob Newman, President of AEG Facilities. “The Velocity Tour will immediately become one of the most acclaimed events in North America through combining our worldwide resources. We look forward to partnering with the PBR to bring their unparalleled experience to hundreds of thousands of new fans.â€