NWSL Kickoff 2025: League Operations Team Preps for NEP-Driven Remote Productions for CBS, ESPN, ION, NWSL Matches on Amazon and ABC will be produced onsite by the respective team By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor Friday, March 14, 2025 - 11:09 am
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Storylines abound in the upcoming season of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), but, behind the scenes, the large wave of broadcasts - linear on CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, and the Scripps Sports-operated ION, digital on the league's NWSL direct-to-consumer platform - will be handled internally by the NWSL's operations team. The matches will rely on remote production out of NEP Connected Solutions' facility in South Florida.
This is the eighth year of the NWSL and NEP production relationship, notes Brian Gordon, SVP/executive producer, NWSL. We've worked together to build a production model that can service each of our broadcast-partner requirements, including our own OTT platform. We have weekly meetings and almost daily communications to ensure we're prepared for the upcoming weekend and the entire season.
Florida Connection: League Forms Robust World-Feed Model With NEP Connected Solutions To execute a season's worth of shows, the league and NEP Connected Solutions began plotting out their strategy last September. Responsible for 190 world-feed matches for the league's 14 clubs and more than 60 additional matches for local broadcasters, the NWSL's ops crew needed to make sure that every need is met for all parties involved.
The league worked with NEP South Florida to expand their facilities to accommodate the league's broadcast requirements, says Mike Freedman, VP/executive producer, NEP Connected Solutions. NEP built new control rooms, expanded replay and audio capabilities, and are leveraging the personnel and resources of the entire NEP ecosystem.
For the linear broadcasts, CBS Sports, ESPN, ION will deploy the full remote-production workflow supported by NEP mobile units and the control rooms in South Florida. The schedule comprises 50 matches on ION, 10 matches on CBS Sports Network, nine on ESPN2, and seven on ESPN. CBS and ABC will produce selected matches - 14 and six, respectively - via their respective tech infrastructures onsite at the stadium. Additionally, ION will produce its own studio programming from its facility in Atlanta. The content will be fed into the remote-production pipeline for distribution out of South Florida.
For the digital offering, the remote-production workflow will be implemented for all matches on NWSL and 39 matches on Paramount . Amazon Prime Video will produce its own coverage of its 27-game slate.
On the tech side, games on NWSL will be covered by a standard six-camera complement, and the linear productions will deploy 12 total cameras, including one that's super-slow-motion-capable. Specialty cameras will be implemented for marquee matchups, including the postseason schedule and other special broadcasts. For example, the league deployed a drone for ION's regular-season matchup between the Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC at Wrigley Field.
Second-Year Lessons: Dedicated NWSL and NEP Crews Drive Growth The introduction of the NWSL platform last season provided valuable lessons for both the league and the operations that make these televised matches possible. Not only were more matches available to domestic soccer fans, but fans from outside the U.S. were able to enjoy the games and the league's deep pool of international stars.
We learned our fans are very engaged on NWSL , says Gordon. Thanks to the solid tech provided by Endeavor Streaming, the service performed flawlessly, with fans watching almost 40 minutes per match - a very high engagement rate. We also saw the influx of global superstars - including Barbara Banda from Zambia and Temwa Chawinga from Malawi - which led to high NWSL viewership in those countries.
This increase in viewership, plus the integration of new broadcast partners Amazon Prime Video and ION, has generated immense growth for the preeminent women's professional soccer league. The league's clear vision is a main reason for its success, but the staffers at league operations have made a huge difference, including Senior Director, Production, Meg Buchan and Director, Production, Erin Hurley.
[Meg and Erin] have been doing an outstanding job working with each of our domestic, international, and local broadcast partners to ensure high-quality productions, says Gordon. In addition, the team at NEP South Florida are not a vendor; they are a true partner helping us accomplish our goal of becoming the best sports league in the world.
Operationally, the team at NEP Connected Solutions has provided a huge lift in getting the shows off the ground: President Josh Liemer; Director, Live Events, Steven Kravitz; Director, Remote Operations, George Williams; Director, Operations, Chris Walkley; Producer Erick Falero; and Production/Project Managers Hildelisa Gonzalez and Victor Bague.
We have a large group that is dedicated and passionate about NWSL and their productions, says Freedman. We take pride in our relationship and see it as being part of a family.
NWSL Operations and NEP Connected Solutions will produce five matches this weekend: Houston Dash-Washington Spirit on Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NWSL ; Racing Louisville FC-North Carolina Courage at 5 p.m. on NWSL and a doubleheader of Utah Royals FC-Bay FC at 7:30 p.m. and Seattle Reign-Gotham FC at 10 p.m. on ION on Saturday, March 15; and Angel City FC-San Diego Wave FC at 6:50 p.m. ET on ESPN2 on Sunday, March 16. The league will produce the first match on CBS Sports Network in two weeks when Chicago Stars FC faces Racing Louisville FC at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 30.
