National Women's Soccer League Strikes a New Live Rights Deal Bringing Matches to CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports Deal adds ESPN family to the fray, Friday night matches on Prime Video, and keeps Championship match on CBS By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Thursday, November 9, 2023 - 4:40 pm
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On Thursday afternoon, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced its new four-year domestic media distribution rights deal, which will expand the league's reach to CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports.
The deal establishes 118 national windows beginning in 2024. That includes packages of matches on CBS broadcast, CBS Sports Network, and streaming on Paramount , plus a package of matches across the Disney family of networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and streaming on ESPN . The arrangement also introduces Friday night matches on Prime Video and Saturday doubleheaders on the Scripps'-owned ION network,
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.
Additionally, the NWSL Playoffs will be spread across multiple networks. 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. CBS and Paramount will remain the exclusive home of the NWSL Championship match. The NWSL playoffs are set to expand in 2024 with the addition of new franchises Bay FC and the Utah Royals.
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.
The league is currently in a deal where matches appear solely on CBS, CBS Sports Network, and Paramount . Adding ESPN, Prime Video, and ION on this deal both increases and diversifies the NWSL's match distribution domestically.
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.
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 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.
On behalf of the NWSL, we have secured four game-changing, marquee partnerships that will help send the women's game to new heights of viewership and fandom, growing domestic revenues for the League at a multiple of over 40x, Hillary Mandel, EVP, Head of Americas, IMG said. The NWSL's new line-up of media partners are stepping up with significant rights fees, production investment, top tier platforms and impactful promotion. In lockstep with the NWSL, they are going to transform the ways in which fans can discover and engage with the games, assuring deserved exposure for these world class athletes on the broadest stage.
An official release from the league outlined match rights more specifically:
CBS
Minimum of 21 Games
Regular season:
CBS and Paramount : Minimum of 10 games per season
CBS Sports Network: Minimum of 8 games per season
Playoffs:
CBS and Paramount : 1 quarterfinal per season
CBS and Paramount : 1 semifinal per season
CBS and Paramount : NWSL Championship
ESPN/ABC
20 games
Regular season:
17 regular season games per season
Playoffs:
2 quarterfinals per season
1 semifinal per season
Prime Vi
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National Women's Soccer League Strikes a New Live Rights Deal Bringing Matches to CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports Deal adds ESPN family to the fray, Friday night matches on Prime Video, and keeps Championship match on CBS By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
