SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sky Sports and BBC Sport have extended their respective media rights deals with the Women’s Super League (WSL) for an additional year.
The two media organisations will continue to showcase the best of England’s women’s football throughout the whole 2024/25 season, with a total of 44 games being aired on Sky and 22 on the BBC.
Fans will be able to watch the action on Sky Showcase, as well as on BBC One, BBC Two, the on-demand BBC Red Button service and the BBC iPlayer website.
On the renewed deals, Nikki Doucet, CEO for the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship, commented: “We’re very pleased that Sky Sports and BBC Sport are continuing their broadcast rights partnership with us for a further season.
“The past three years have been incredibly exciting for the women’s game – each broadcaster’s coverage of the Barclays Women’s Super League has helped to take the game to another level and open it up to new audiences, and we’re looking forward to seeing that continue and momentum build as we move into a standalone entity.”
Both Sky and the BBC have been supporting the WSL through media deals for the past three years, with interest in the sport skyrocketing after England’s performance during the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euros and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments.
Sky Sports Managing Director, Jonathan Licht, added: “It’s a hugely exciting time for women’s football in this country. Extending our partnership with the Barclays WSL with more matches than any other broadcaster is fantastic news for Sky Sports customers.
“Audiences have increased hugely over recent years and we’re proud of our contribution to the growth of the game and women’s sport more broadly, showing 70% of all live action last year on our channels.”
The renewed media deals are sure to bring additional opportunities to grow women’s football even more not only in the UK but also across the whole of Europe.
Philip Bernie, Interim Director of BBC Sport, said: “Women’s football has reached unprecedented heights, with the Lionesses’ huge international successes at the Women’s EUROs and World Cup, and a terrific contest for this season’s BWSL title.
“We’re pleased that BBC Sport will continue to showcase the great excitement of our domestic league by extending our partnerships with the Women’s Super League.”
