In an effort to bring fans more of their games, the NWSL on Tuesday announced a new media rights deal that will expand coverage on ESPN and CBS Sports next year while adding Victory+ to the mix.
The NWSL’s four-year, $240 million deal with ESPN, CBS, Prime Video and Scripps Sports began last year and quadrupled audiences in its first year, the league said on Tuesday.
With expansion teams in Boston and Denver joining next season to form a 16-team league, the NWSL was in the market for a new broadcast package to cover those teams. Nearly 70 games this season are not included in the current media rights deal, and would likely increase with the expansion teams next season.
Both media rights deals will last through the 2027 season.
As part of the new deal, ESPN and ABC will broadcast weekly regular-season matches and all eight matches on Decision Day, the last day of the regular season. Already carrying the final, CBS Sports will also add more matches during the season.
Victory+, a free streaming platform launched last year by the NHL’s Dallas Stars, will carry 25 primetime NWSL matches on Sundays among a total of 57 games next season.
“We are expanding the discoverability and reach of NWSL matches because the demand is there,” league commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “These additional media packages will help us reach new audiences and build a new generation of fandom. The expanded commitments from CBS Sports and ESPN, paired with a new national Sunday night showcase with Victory+, bolster the NWSL’s trajectory of unprecedented growth.”
–Field Level Media
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