Eyeballs For Soccer Balls: NWSL, Women’s Sports Network Ink Multi-Platform Alliance
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 07:00PM By Barry Janoff
April 25, 2023: On the heels of signing a global streaming and sports wagering deal with IMG Arena, the NWSL has signed with FAST Studios' Women's Sports Network 24/7 network dedicated to women's sports as a media partner for non-live match content.
The NWSL said it plans to utilize the Women's Sports Network's platform to “further drive viewership, spotlight players, and extend brand partner opportunities through interviews, features, long-form storytelling, and a weekly half-hour NWSL highlight show called Versus, showcasing plays of the week.”
"As we continue to expand NWSL's viewership, the Women's Sports Network's platform will allow us to more broadly stream the success of our league on a platform dedicated to driving women's sports forward," Mitch Poll, NWSL chief revenue officer, said via the league.
"The Women's Sports Network has seen tremendous growth and attention since launching in 2022, which offers our fans and brand partners the opportunity to dive deeper into the story of our players and reach our audience in a more impactful way."
As part of the partnership, the Women's Sports Network will also show NWSL highlights and player interviews on the network's signature daily studio show GAME ON.
As part of the larger NWSL programming effort, Women's Sports Network said it would “recontextualize the very best games of prior seasons with new commentary from the players. GAME ON will additionally broadcast live pre-match shows from this year's NWSL playoffs and championship games.”
The Women's Sports Network said it is “encouraging fans to stay tuned for a sweepstakes for the Championship.”
"The Women's Sports Network offers a platform for female athletes to amplify their voice on a women's only network, elevating their presence across the sports industry to bring innovative change to women's sports," Stuart McLean, CEO of FAST Studios, said via the media company.
“The ability to provide a dedicated platform for women's sports, that can be accessed without having to fight for airtime, is a true innovation. This also gives the stories behind these female athletes the proper space for celebration."
The Women’s Sports Network and IMG Arena streaming platform deals enhance NWSL’s other media alliances.
CBS Sports’ multi-platform coverage, presented by CarMax, will include all 176 NWSL matches this season.
The CBS Television Network will air six matches, including both the broadcast of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup Final and the 2023 Ally NWSL Championship Presented by CarMax.
Paramount+, Paramount Global’s subscription streaming service, will also stream those six matches live.
CBS Sports Network will air 23 matches across the regular season, playoffs and the Challenge Cup.
Paramount+
will exclusively stream all additional NWSL matches live in the U.S, with a select number of those matches also streaming live on the CBS Sports Golazo Network.
As part of its exclusive coverage this season, Paramount+ will stream all six matches on the final day of the regular season as part of the league’s first Decision Day.
All 2023 regular season and Challenge Cup matches will be streamed live internationally for free on NWSLSoccer.com.
NWSL and Endeavor Streaming last month unveiled a partnership to launch a global streaming service for viewers outside of the U.S. for the 2023 season that will make matches available free of charge for fans globally on NWSLSoccer.com.
The Endeavor agreement marks the first time the NWSL has launched its own global streaming offering for viewers outside of the U.S.
The NWSL has also signed two streaming deals with international distributors DAZN and Tigo, securing additional access to live NWSL matches for audiences across more than 25 countries around the world.
NWSL Signs Global Streaming-Rights, Sports Wagering Deal With IMG Arena
NWSL ’23 Is On-The-Air: All 176 Matches Available To A Global Audience
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