After a Record-Breaking 2023, NWSL Enters 2024 Season With More Production Partners, Free DTC Platform

After a Record-Breaking 2023, NWSL Enters 2024 Season With More Production Partners, Free DTC Platform A total of 190 games will be produced on Prime Video, ESPN, CBS, ION, NWSL By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Friday, March 15, 2024 - 1:46 pm

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The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) experienced another year of exponential growth in 2023, but, to further increase the popularity of women's professional soccer, a handful of changes were made for the 2024 regular season. A one-game NWSL Challenge Cup kicking off the 190-match slate has been added to the calendar, and the league will be expanded by two teams, the returning Utah Royals in Salt Lake City and the new Bay FC in the San Francisco Bay Area. On the production side, the league has solidified its balanced linear/streaming broadcast strategy with four media partners - CBS, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports - and has launched the NWSL direct-to-consumer platform.

The number of national broadcasts moving from seven to 121 is a game-changer, says Brian Gordon, SVP, broadcast, NWSL. There's going to be a lot more exposure of our players, fans will be able to have more access, and both our sponsors and partners will see a return on their investment.

Amazon Prime Video and Scripp Sports' ION is joining CBS Sports and ESPN as media partners in 2024.

Fun for Everyone: New Partners, Free NWSL Make the Game Affordable and Accessible To maximize exposure, the league has signed media-rights deals with new and familiar broadcast partners. Two of them - the family of networks and platforms at ESPN and CBS Sports - will air 40 total matches in the regular season. ESPN's 20-match allotment comprises nine on ESPN2, seven on ESPN, and four on ABC, with ESPN Deportes offering 13 contests in Spanish and, for all 20 matches, both English- and Spanish-language versions available on ESPN . The CBS Sports deal covers 11 matches on CBS and streaming on Paramount , nine on CBS Sports Network, and selected matches on the CBS Sports Golazo Network.

For the playoffs, ESPN's three matches (two quarterfinals and a semifinal) will air on ABC, and CBS Sports will air three (a quarterfinal, a semifinal, and the 2024 NWSL Championship).

The league will distribute 69 games for free on their new DTC platform, NWSL .

New to NWSL this season are ION and Amazon Prime Video. The former, a Scripps Sports-operated network, will air 50 regular-season matches on Saturday nights. The latter will offer 27 exclusive matches, the majority to be streamed on Fridays, and a quarterfinal in the first year of its agreement.

Despite supplying different needs for each broadcast partner, the league is streamlining operations by offering a base complement of technologies. For example, each nationally broadcast game will have a minimum 12 cameras, an upgrade from last year's six - and the continuation of VAR (video assistant referee), which the league launched in 2023 as the first women's professional soccer league to do so. This upgrade in the game-day camera arsenal will also assist in the league's final piece of its broadcasting puzzle: the inclusion of NWSL .

With the help of Endeavor Streaming, says Gordon, we were able to build out an engaging consumer experience. [NWSL Director, Digital Operations,] Antonia Loffredo has been key in working with their team to make sure it's ready to debut this weekend.

Unlike media partners requiring a cable provider or subscription, the league's new direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform is completely free. Previously offered only to international fans in more than 25 countries through DAZN and Tigo, the service will stream 69 matches without requiring authentication.

CBS will broadcast 20 total games, including the 2024 NWSL Championship.

Since these games are produced and distributed by us, adds Gordon, the objective of NWSL was to increase awareness [of the league] and reach to all our fans. These games also are a tool to send our viewers to our national partners, so we'll cross-promote and show live look-ins of our other games.

On the local level, NWSL can also allow clubs to engage with regional networks and other broadcasters in their home markets to create potential partnerships. We want our clubs to monetize and build their local fanbase, he says, but we also want them to create communities of fans across the country. It works out to be a great broadcast ecosystem because there are a lot of places for people to watch without having to spend a lot of money.

The viewership model is paying off for certain clubs around the league. For instance, on March 13, the Washington (DC) Spirit inked a 10-game broadcast deal with the rebranded Monumental Sports Network. Available to domestic and international fans on NWSL , the first broadcast under the new deal will be Washington Spirit at Seattle Reign FC on Sunday, March 17 at 6 p.m. ET.

Hybrid Model: Remote Productions Through VISTA Worldlink, Onsite National Broadcasts With nearly 200 regular-season matches on five distinct outlets, the league's broadcast and production team has lots of games on their plate. Leveraging its partnership with NEP Group and VISTA Worldlink's Dania Beach, FL, facility, the NWSL will remotely produce 80%, or 146, of the 182 regular-season matches. That includes all 69 games on NWSL , all 50 games and the Atlanta-based studio show on ION, 16 games on ESPN and ESPN2, all nine games on CBS Sports Network, and two games on CBS. The other 36 games in the regular season - all 27 on Amazon Prime Video, the nine other games on CBS, and four on ABC - and all seven postseason games will be produced by the broadcasters' respective personnel onsite. Working inside VISTA Worldlink's connected facility, which is also being used for the

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/03/15/after-a-record-breaking-2023-nw...
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