
<p>Details surrounding the NWSL TV deal that comes into effect in the 2024 campaign are starting to emerge. Previously, news broke that there would be <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/nwsl-agrees-new-tv-deal-with-multiple-partners-says-report-20231007-WST-460941.html">four broadcasters in charge</a> of bringing the league to American TV screens. Those are CBS, ESPN, Amazon, and Scripps. Reports indicate the length of the new NWSL TV deal is four years, as it runs through the 2027 season. It is a significant change from the current exclusivity deal with CBS that expires at the end of the 2023 season.</p>



<p>However, NWSL will be a major beneficiary of taking on this TV rights deal. At least, that is the case financially speaking. The incoming media rights deal yields a hefty increase in the yearly revenue generated. The <em><a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/SB-Blogs/Newsletter-Media/2023/10/16.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sports Business Journal</a></em> reports the fee those four are charging hovers in the low eight figures. In other words, it will be over $10 million per season. By comparison, the previous NWSL deal with CBS brought in $1.5 million per year. </p>



<p>While it is far lower than most men’s competitions, it is exponential growth for the league in a short period of time. ESPN, Amazon, and Scripps are trying to get in on the growth of the league that CBS helped develop. According to <em>Front Office Sports</em>, CBS viewership of the league rose 21% by the halfway mark in 2023. That was before the Women’s World Cup may have brought further attention to the competition. Likewise, match attendance across the league climbed 48% in the first half of 2023.</p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Angel City vs. Portland Thorns: Extended Highlights | NWSL | CBS Sports Attacking Third" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ej28LxeqFQ8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p>The playoffs for the 2023 NWSL season are just around the corner. Those could bring further attention to the league ahead of this deal, too. </p>



<h2>First hint at formatting details for new NWSL TV deal</h2>



<p>In the past, CBS put all NWSL games on Paramount+, the CBS Sports Golazo Network, CBS Sports Network, or CBS. Occasionally, there would be games available on Twitch. However, the vast majority of games belonged to CBS’s channels. Therefore, you knew where to look when it came to watching the NWSL.</p>



<p>Now, that simplicity is gone. This does have <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/new-nwsl-tv-deal-is-it-the-right-move-20231010-WST-461296.html">benefits for the league in funding and exposure</a> to different audiences. Moreover, there are details regarding some of the locations for games on the new NWSL TV deal.</p>



<p>Each of the four broadcasters will have a selective package. ESPN will carry games on its television channels, and Scripps will do the same. Amazon will have a ‘game of the week,’ speculatively on Fridays, available on Twitch or Prime Video. CBS will have television coverage of the semifinals and finals of the league.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nwsl-tv-schedule-and-streaming-links/">NWSL TV schedule</a> will become clearer as the 2024 season nears. That starts in the spring.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO &amp; ZUMA Wire</em></p>


New details: NWSL TV deal with CBS, ESPN, Amazon, Scripps

Details surrounding the NWSL TV deal that comes into effect in the 2024 campaign are starting to emerge with four different broadcasters.


<p>As the 2023 regular season comes to what should be a hectic conclusion this Sunday, the NWSL made major news regarding its future this past week. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/nwsl-agrees-new-tv-deal-with-multiple-partners-says-report-20231007-WST-460941.html">A new NWSL TV deal</a> is reportedly ready to go starting in 2024. And it will mark a significant change in the way fans will watch games.</p>



<p>From 2020-2023, the league had an exclusive deal with CBS Sports. While some games featured on Twitch, the majority of matches were exclusive to CBS platforms. Games featured on <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a>, CBS Sports Network, CBS, and the CBS Sports Golazo streaming network.</p>



<p>However, the new deal sees the NWSL move from one exclusive partner to four – ESPN, CBS, Amazon, and Scripps. ESPN and CBS offer a stable of both traditional TV and streaming platforms. Amazon has its <a href="https://amzn.to/3S0EtJ0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prime Video service</a> (which airs select Thursday NFL games). Scripps controls various digital networks available over the air, most notably Ion TV.</p>



<p>Specifics on which channels and platforms games will be featured are not known at this time. But, in theory, the new variety of options should broaden the number of potential eyeballs on the league.</p>



<p>The four-year deal is also expected to be a substantial increase in terms of revenue compared to the CBS contract.</p>



<p>More money is always a good thing, but is this the right long-term play for growing the NWSL fanbase? </p>



<h2>Pros and cons – a fans’ perspective</h2>



<p>This author also happens to be a NWSL season ticket holder for the Orlando Pride. I can’t say I speak for every NWSL, or even Pride, fan, but it does give me some perspective (and certainly an opinion) on the direction the league is going with.</p>



<p>While the CBS/Paramount setup was not without hiccups here and there, overall the experience has been fairly good. Nearly every game has been available on the streaming service, save for the odd match here and there only on CBS Sports Network. </p>



<p>This made watching games super convenient. And for a soccer (and/or Star Trek) fan like myself who already had <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a> anyway, it’s been a downright outstanding value for around $5 bucks a month over the course of the deal. I don’t think there has ever been a less expensive way as a cord-cutter to get almost every game of a local (or non-local) pro sports team.</p>



<p>We don’t yet know the breakdown of how games will be split across these four new partners. But it’s probably safe to say you’ll need subscriptions to at least three streaming services, and possibly either a cable/satellite subscription or digital antenna setup, to see <em>every</em> game in 2024.</p>



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<p>Let’s assume the games on Scripps, ESPN, and CBS networks are also simulcast on one of the streaming platforms. Even without the cost of a traditional TV setup, it’s still going to be a substantial price hike for fans. At the current lowest rates we know about for 2024, you’re looking at $5.99/month for Paramount+, $8.99 for Prime Video, and $10.99 for <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a>. That’s a hair less than $26 total per month. Or to put it another way, an over <em>400%</em> increase compared to the cost of Paramount+ alone. </p>



<p>For fans that already have all these services anyway, it’s not really an issue. But it’s going to be a tough pill for supporters who just want to follow their team and may not be able to afford additional services.</p>



<h5>Convenience vs Increased Reach</h5>



<p>The (mostly) all-in-one-place convenience of a single broadcast partner makes scheduling and following the league easier. But it does limit the ability to tap into a more casual fanbase. Nobody can stumble on a game if there aren’t any on TV (or if the few are getting mostly stuck on a non-basic tier of cable programming like CBSSN).</p>



<p>If NWSL matches will now pop up on ESPN, ABC, CBS, and Ion, that’s a win for public awareness. Getting on a major network almost always helps with ratings, as evidenced by the recent Megan Rapinoe sendoff match on CBS:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CBS Sports&apos; presentation of Washington Spirit vs. OL Reign is most-watched regular-season match in NWSL history. <a href="https://t.co/3eTzgoZlA6">pic.twitter.com/3eTzgoZlA6</a></p>— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsGang/status/1711778875024224697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>But even fans who only follow their own team will now likely be forced to switch apps, channels, or even devices from game to game. </p>



<p>It’s also important to touch on another wrinkle – local broadcast deals. Unlike MLS/Apple on the men’s side, NWSL’s existing deal with CBS has not prevented individual teams from setting up local TV deals. It’s unknown if this will be a factor in the new deal come 2024.</p>



<p>Personally, I’m a big fan of the streamlined single-partner approach. Same place for every game, every time, one app, super easy. A unified game presentation. And no fumbling around asking “Where is the game?!” five minutes before kickoff. One subscription, and unlike the MLS offering, that offers a large stable of additional content for no added cost as well. NWSL on Paramount+, for me anyway, has been superb. </p>



<p>However, revenue is revenue. If this new deal is bringing a significantly larger haul into league (and club) coffers, I’ll be all for it. As someone who’s been a massive supporter of, and also worked for, soccer outfits in this country that no longer exist, anything that helps stability is a win in my book.</p>



<p>Aside from the functionality and user experience with this deal, you also have to wonder if something else is in play.</p>



<h2>Competition on the horizon</h2>



<p>This new NWSL TV deal may be more than a simple shift in broadcasting strategy. </p>



<p>For a while, the NWSL has been effectively alone at the top of the American, and global, women’s club pyramid. But the status of the lone top dog is diminishing by the day.</p>



<p>As overseas, particularly European, clubs and nations continue to invest in the women’s game, women’s soccer outside the US is drawing bigger crowds, bigger stars, and more eyeballs all the time. The Women’s UEFA Champions League is becoming a marquee event each year. And leagues featuring massive clubs (and global brands) like Arsenal, Chelsea, FC Barcelona, PSG, and Manchester United are becoming more readily available in the States.</p>



<p>But closer to home is perhaps something that might really upset the status quo.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/usl-super-league-aim-to-launch-as-d1-womens-league-in-2024-20230516-WST-433038.html">USL Super League</a> is now set to debut in the fall of 2024 as a Division One professional league. That puts it at the same level as the NWSL. And it counts some major markets amongst the inaugural teams. Charlotte, Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and Washington, D.C. are lined up as some of the charter clubs. The USLSL will also play on the European, or fall-to-spring calendar.</p>



<p>The USL’s Championship and League One men’s leagues have featured on ESPN+ in recent seasons. However next year’s details, and those of the Super League, have yet to be announced.</p>



<p>While the two leagues’ seasons won’t entirely overlap, NWSL cutting a deal involving ESPN (and three other platforms) puts them ahead of the game in terms of broadcast setup. The NWSL has also recently announced a return to Utah and Boston, as well as an expansion to San Jose. But this new TV deal is perhaps the true opening salvo in an emerging women’s front of the American “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Soccerwarz-Inside-Americas-Soccer-Between-ebook/dp/B01DUYRABE/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SoccerWarz</a>.”</p>



<p><em>Photo: Imago</em>.</p>


New NWSL TV deal: Is it the right move?

The new NWSL TV deal will bring the league to more platforms, but is it a positive step for the women's league?

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New details: NWSL TV deal with CBS, ESPN, Amazon, Scripps

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New NWSL TV deal: Is it the right move?