CHICAGO, IL–The National Women’s Soccer League will expand their reach and their wallets (or purses) as they signed a new, lucrative television deal with CBS, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps (yes, the same Scripps that runs the National Spelling Bee and own ION). The four-year deal is worth $240 million over four years which is an exponential gain from the $4.5 million, three-year deal with CBS. The new deal will start next season.
CBS will continue to carry the NWSL Championship Game and will carry a minimum of 21 games throughout CBS, CBS Sports Network, and Paramount+.
“We’re thrilled to extend our relationship with the NWSL, continuing as the home of the NWSL Championship and offering an expanded slate of matches on CBS as we build on the success of the last four years,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “Extending this partnership further demonstrates our commitment to elevating women’s sports as we continue to work hand-in-hand with the NWSL to highlight the world’s best women’s soccer players. As we prepare to present the 2023 NWSL Championship this weekend, we are excited to continue to showcase this league across our platforms for years to come and remain the ultimate destination for soccer fans.”
ESPN will carry 20 games throughout its platforms, including ABC, including 17 regular season matches, two quarterfinals, and a semifinal match.
“The NWSL is among the world’s best women’s professional soccer leagues, and we are excited to showcase the league, the clubs, and the incredible athletes to sports fans,” said Rosalyn Durant, Executive Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN. “This agreement further strengthens our leadership position as the home for women’s sports.”
Prime Video gets 27 matches per season which includes a season opening match, 25 Friday night matches, and a quarterfinal match.
“The evolution of women’s sports – and specifically the NWSL – demonstrates that there is a growing audience for remarkable athletes and world-class competition, regardless of gender,” said Marie Donoghue, VP U.S. sports content & partnerships, Amazon. “With the unique power and distribution of Prime Video, and an exclusive window on Friday nights throughout the season, we look forward to expanding that audience as the newest home of the NWSL.”
Scripps will have a Saturday night doubleheader on ION with matches at 6:30pm and 9pm CT, plus a pregame show at 6pm CT. There will be 25 doubleheaders in all and Scripps will also carry the 2024 NWSL Draft on ION.
“Scripps Sports is pleased to create a franchise night on ION for the NWSL that will reach every American household, across every free television platform and further help expand the league’s fan base with appointment viewing consistency,” said Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company. “We’re proud once again to be a part of a historic distribution agreement that will elevate women’s professional sports, benefitting the league, the teams, their athletes and fans.”
The remainder of the NWSL regular-season schedule will be part of a domestic direct-to-consumer package produced and distributed by the NWSL, building on the league’s 2023 season international direct-to-consumer platform which has proven successful. All matches, regardless of where they appear, will have consistent and up-leveled production quality due to increased, and uniform, investment across all platforms.
The expansion to 14 teams for 2024, with the arrival of Bay FC and the return of the Utah Royals, will mean expansion for the NWSL playoffs going to eight teams. Prime Video and CBS will have the rights to one quarterfinal each, while ESPN/ABC will air the other two quarterfinals. CBS and ESPN/ABC will each have a semifinal.
It is a red-letter day for the NWSL which has seen crowds and media exposure expand during the season. One highlight was Megan Rapinoe’s final regular season home game broadcast on CBS to an audience of over 683,000 viewers which is a record for a regular season match. Both attendance and viewership rose substantially this season.
“These partnerships fundamentally change the game for our league and the players who take the pitch each week. On behalf of the NWSL, our owners and players, I want to commend CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps for investing in our league and affirmatively declaring to the marketplace that this league is exciting, valuable, and important,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “We have taken great care to ensure our games are discoverable by increasing our reach in order to expose new audiences to everything that makes our league special, without compromising the economic value of our product. This is the beginning of our future.”
The NWSL Championship Game between OL Reign and Gotham FC will be in prime time on CBS this Saturday at 7pm CT from Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
