PBR plans to add two more teams to bull riding league as Camping World named series’ title sponsor for new season
Univision to carry all 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series games in Spanish-language broadcasts.
PUEBLO, Colo. – Get a hose. The business of PBR is on fire.
The organization has announced plans to expand its new bull riding league to 10 teams for the 2024 season, while welcoming Camping World as title sponsor and Univision as the Spanish-language home for the league’s elite team competition that opens its new season Monday night in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
PBR Teams launched with eight founding teams in 2022. The bidding process in the league’s expansion has begun at $20 million for each team sanction.
More than 30 prospective partners have contacted the league seeking a Team ownership opportunity, according to Commissioner and CEO Sean Gleason.
“PBR Teams is the most exciting competition format in Western sports, broadening our appeal to casual fans,” Gleason said. “With riders competing in games where every ride counts, our sport now has the drama of team wins and losses, more fan rooting interests, a survive-and-advance playoff and enhanced media coverage. Expansion after one season is proof of a concept that’s caught fire.”
The two new teams to compete in the premier PBR Camping World Team Series will be based in markets chosen by the new owners that present the best opportunity to continue to grow the league’s fan base. In the inaugural Teams season, nearly 200,000 people attended the league’s bull riding games.
With the PBR Teams format broadening the sport’s appeal, the league will enter the 2023 PBR Teams season with a new title partner through a partnership with Camping World, the world’s largest recreation vehicle dealer.
Camping World will provide added national exposure and marketing muscle for a league revolutionizing Western Sports.
Camping World will have prominent branding on PBR Teams broadcasts, in-arena signage for all league games, on-site activation at Teams events and logo placement on the athletes’ jerseys and riding vests across all PBR Teams. Additionally, Camping World will be a dominant presence in the campgrounds across several team markets.
Camping World’s Unleash The Beast partnership for the sport’s individual competition, which follows the PBR Teams championship, includes in-arena digital signage, branded bucking chutes, concourse activation and presenting ownership of the RV Park at PBR World Finals.
Camping World’s PBR involvement includes heavy media placement across CBS, as well as a custom content series to be produced by PBR.
Additionally, PBR welcomed Univision as the home of PBR Spanish-language broadcasts.
Starting July 24, TelevisaUnivision’s streaming service ViX and sports channel TUDN will bring all the excitement of the 2023 season to TelevisaUnivision’s various platforms.
All 112 games during the 10-event PBR Camping World Team Series regular season plus the Championship will be carried on TelevisaUnivision’s streaming platform.
The bull riding games will be carried on TelevisaUnivision’s sports division, TUDN, with Spanish language narrators and commentators Leo Riaño, Antonio Gómez Luna, Xavi Sol and Ramón Aranza calling the action.
“We are thrilled about TU’s exclusive partnership with Professional Bull Riders (PBR), solidifying our position as the premier Spanish language destination for sports content,” said TelevisaUnivision President of Sports Olek Loewenstein. “This collaboration allows us to not only bring the exhilarating sport of bull riding to our Spanish-speaking audience but also connect it to the rich history and culture of Hispanic communities. Bull riding has deep roots in the traditions and heritage of many Latin American countries, and through our extensive coverage and compelling storytelling, we aim to celebrate and showcase this important aspect of our audience's identity.”
“Partnering with Univision is an historic development for our sport,” Gleason said. “From the beginning of rodeo, the Hispanic culture has always had a strong affinity for bull riding. Joining with the leader at winning the hearts and minds of a gigantic Spanish-language audience is a huge opportunity.”
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media