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NEW YORK and DANIEL ISLAND, S.C., Aug. 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP) (www.meredith.com) unveiled today an exciting, new partnership with Volvo Cars of North America for the Family Circle Cup, the largest women's-only tennis tournament in the world. In conjunction with Volvo Car's first American plant in South Carolina's Berkeley County, the brand will become the title sponsor for the Family Circle Cup, changing its name to the Volvo Cars Open.

"Family Circle's commitment to women's tennis began in 1973, and the tournament continues to be a premiere event on the WTA tour. Our new relationship with Volvo is a great opportunity for both of our companies to build on and celebrate the tournament's rich history while finding new and exciting ways to expand and grow its reach with our marketing partners," said Tom Harty, President, National Media Group, Meredith Corporation.

He notes that Volvo's decision to create its first United States production facility in South Carolina, and to become title sponsor for the event, will "help to ensure that the tournament and facility along with its broad range of programs remain a vital part of the Charleston community both now and for many years to come."

The tournament aligns with Volvo's core mission and target market. The luxury-car brand has been built up over decades, and is one of the world's best known and respected companies within the vehicle industry. Volvo has also been involved in tennis historically in the past.

"It is a great honor to become the title sponsor of this world-class tournament; one that like Volvo Cars, celebrates passion and performance," said Lex Kerssemakers, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America. "As we are establishing our U.S. manufacturing footprint in the Charleston area, this is an ideal way for us to leverage our presence in the community."

The Volvo Cars Open is truly an international event for the Charleston area, with players and fans attending from across the globe. The tournament averages 90,000 attendees each year and reaches more than 10 million television viewers worldwide.

"The title sponsorship change is a natural evolution of our event," said Bob Moran, General Manger and Tournament Director of the Volvo Cars Open. "We are an international event with players, fans and viewers from across the globe.   The opportunity for Meredith to partner with a world-class brand like Volvo Cars is a perfect fit."

Moran notes that Family Circle and Charleston Tennis will continue to market the event to Meredith's 100 million consumers. The tournament will continue to be owned and operated by Charleston Tennis, LLC, a subsidiary of Meredith Corporation, publisher of Family Circle.  

"Volvo is a welcome addition to the tour and the event continues to be a pioneer in women's professional sports, creating milestones that over the years have directly influenced the popularity of women's professional tennis," said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO, WTA. "The tournament has a roster of past champions that include some of the biggest names in the history of women's tennis including Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Justine Henin and Serena Williams."

The Volvo Cars Open will take place April 2 – 10, 2016 on Daniel Island.

Tickets for the 2016 Volvo Cars Open will go on sale Tuesday, September 15, 2015. For more information on tickets, call 800.677.2293.

ABOUT VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (www.volvocars.com/us) is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Group of Gothenburg, Sweden. VCNA provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States. For more information please refer to the VCNA media website at: http://www.media.volvocars.com/us.

ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION:

Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; www.meredith.com) has been committed to service journalism for more than 110 years. Today, Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms - including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile, tablets and video - to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.

Meredith's National Media Group reaches a multi-channel audience of 220 million consumers monthly, including more than 100 million unduplicated American women and over 60 percent of U.S. Millennial women. Meredith is the leader in creating content across media platforms in key consumer interest areas such as food, home, parenthood and health through well-known brands such as Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Shape and Allrecipes. The National Media Group features robust brand licensing activities, including more than 3,000 SKUs of branded products at 4,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. Meredith Xcelerated Marketing is a leader at developing and delivering custom content and customer relationship marketing programs for many of the world's top brands, including Kraft, Lowe's and Chrysler.

Meredith's Local Media Group includes 17 owned or operated television stations reaching 11 percent of U.S. households. Meredith's portfolio is concentrated in large, fast-growing markets, with seven stations in the nation's Top 25 - including Atlanta, Phoenix, St. Louis and Portland - and 13 in Top 50 markets. Meredith's stations produce approximately 650 hours of local news and entertainment content each week, and operate leading local digital destinations.

For more information on the Volvo Cars Open, call (800) 677-2293, email info@volvocarsopen.com, visit http://www.VolvoCarsOpen.com, Facebook (Volvo Cars Open), Twitter (@VolvoCarsOpen) or Instagram (VolvoCarsOpen).

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SOURCE Meredith Corporation