US top flight women’s soccer strikes 40x rights increase

The National Women’s Soccer League has sold the broadcast rights to the league for 40 times the amount it receives under its current deal, reflecting not only the rise of women’s soccer but the proliferation of platforms interested in showing the first division. 

Why the US NWSL deal matters

With a new deal reported to be worth $240m over four years from 2024 onwards (an average of $60m annually, up from $1.5m, sources tell the WSJ), the deal signals the huge market potential of a league whose attendances soared 36% this season. 

Ultimately, this is good news for the players who should receive higher salaries as a result. But it also helps to make the league more competitive with high-paying top European clubs, helping to make the US a destination for the very best players. This, in turn, will help boost the marketability of the league, the sport, and its stars.

The NWSL joins other top-flight women’s leagues like the WNBA in commanding nine-figure deals. 

What you need to know 

• The deal will span CBS sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and Scripps Sport. Around 62% of the season’s total 190 matches are included. Other matches will be distributed on the NWSL’s own DTC video service, which is yet to be announced. 
• CBS will retain the rights to show the championship final; this year’s match between Gotham FC and OL Reign will be the last professional game for American soccer legend Megan Rapinoe. 
• Now in its 11th season, the NWSL will add two further teams, taking the league to 14 teams. 

In context

Women’s soccer offers a potent mechanism through which to engage with values-based sponsorship, bolstering not only a brand’s commercial reach, but also a broader ESG agenda. 

The deal follows a hugely successful World Cup this summer, albeit not for the US, who were knocked out in the round of 16. 

Key quote

“It’s not the old days where if you wanted to watch women’s sports, you had to navigate your way through a million backdoor channels to find the content” – Jessica Berman, NWSL commissioner, in comments to the WSJ.

Sourced from the WSJ, WARC