The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is reportedly planning to offer a fifth national television package to broadcasters in the US, aiming to expand its reach and revenue. This move comes as the league continues to enjoy commercial success from its existing four-year contracts worth US$240 million.
Currently, NWSL is in the second year of four-year contracts with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, and Scripps’ Ion Television. Despite this robust partnership network, one-third of NWSL games remain unsold with coverage available via the league's direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service.
The new package will reportedly offer more than 100 games primarily on Sunday nights. The NWSL is confident that its rising popularity and commercial success will generate further demand from broadcasters.
Competition and expansion
This proposed Sunday night timeslot would put NWSL into direct competition with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) new Sunday Night Soccer broadcast. However, the league seems eager to create a new flagship timeslot that complements Amazon Prime’s coverage on Friday nights and Ion’s Saturday double-header. It's important to note that MLS's Sunday Night Soccer airs behind a paywall on Apple TV.
In addition to expanding their broadcasting reach, the arrival of new expansion teams in Boston and Denver by 2026 promises more marquee matchups attracting additional fans.
Commercial success & global reach
All four media partners have sold out their advertising inventory for the 2025 season indicating strong commercial performance. Further evidence of this growth can be seen through recent partnerships; earlier this week AT&T was added as an official connectivity partner demonstrating further commercial maturity for NWSL.
To drive global viewership, international broadcast partners have been enlisted including UK’s TNT Sports, Australia’s Optus Sport Canada's TSN along with ESPN in several markets.
The NWSL's plans for a fifth domestic broadcast package demonstrate the league's ambition to expand its reach and increase revenue. The move also reflects the growing popularity of women's soccer, both domestically and internationally. As the league continues to mature commercially, sports fans and sports betting fans alike can look forward to more exciting developments in the future.
