Thai Sports Drink SPONSOR Expands Volleyball World Deal 

Thailand’s leading sports drink brand SPONSOR has expanded its partnership with Volleyball World into a wider regional one across Southeast Asia for the rest of the year in a deal brokered by Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd. 

The expanded deal will see the TCP Group owned brand build on their successful collaboration over the past three years, which has seen it serve as the title sponsor for the record-breaking 2024 Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals in Thailand, as well as the 2023 VNL Bangkok stage.

The cumulative live broadcast audience for the VNL 2024 in Thailand reached an impressive 38.4 million viewers over 53 hours of coverage. Notably, the Thailand vs China match aired on Channel 7 attracted an average live audience of 3.7 million – the highest sports viewership in Thailand that year, with a peak of 4.6 million viewers.

Through its expanded deal, SPONSOR will now back select stages of the 2025 VNL across Southeast Asia and the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship 2025, which will debut in Thailand in late August. 

Through the deal, SPONSOR is poised to deliver a comprehensive, multi-channel marketing campaign, including exciting fan engagement activities such as opportunities to win match tickets and exclusive merchandise. A variety of immersive experiences will further engage fans throughout the tournament. Through its “Cheer for Thailand with All Your Heart” campaign, SPONSOR aims to bring volleyball supporters closer to the action as they rally behind their favourite teams.

Following the expanded deal, Oliver Clarke, Head of Sponsorship at Volleyball World, stated, “We are delighted to extend our collaboration with SPONSOR, a brand that shares our ambition to grow volleyball and engage more fans throughout Southeast Asia. The engagement and passion from supporters in Thailand during the VNL over the past two years has been remarkable, and with SPONSOR’s continued support, we are confident that we can continue to build on this, developing different ways to engage both new and existing fans.”

Ms. Mallika Lungnimitmas, Marketing Director of TCP Group, echoed the sentiment, “Since 2023, we have proudly supported the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Thailand, offering fans a world-class sporting experience and the chance to cheer on the Thai national team. This year, are excited to mark another major milestone, as we extend our partnership to the Women’s Volleyball World Championship 2025, coming to Thailand for the first time ever. This prestigious tournament will give Thai fans the opportunity to support their team at home while experiencing elite international competition.”

According to ASN data, SPONSOR (82.2%, ~US$1.8m) is by far the biggest spender for its category in volleyball sponsorship investment across Asia since Q422, with an average quarterly investment of almost US$149k. With the expanded Southeast Asian deal, it will continue leveraging on its dominance in the sport.