W-Sport, a dedicated women's sports TV channel, has made a significant stride in its global expansion by launching a 24/7 linear channel in the Middle East. This move was facilitated through a partnership with Du, the leading telecoms and digital services provider in the United Arab Emirates.
The new platform will be launched on channel 547 as part of Du's English Pack. It promises to offer an extensive portfolio of women’s soccer content to subscribers. Soccer enthusiasts can look forward to up to ten live matches each week from various prestigious women's soccer leagues worldwide.
These include England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A Femminile, the United States' USL Super League, and Sweden’s Damallsvenskan.
Diverse sports coverage
In addition to soccer coverage, W-Sport viewers will also receive live broadcasts from other sporting events. The Super League Triathlon is one such event that will be covered live on this platform. Selected live events in tennis, netball, field hockey and athletics are also included in their programming schedule. W-Sport offers more than just event coverage; it provides an all-rounded viewing experience with magazine programming and documentaries included within its content offering.
W-Sport has already established its presence across Europe and Asia before entering the Middle Eastern market. In Europe alone it is accessible across multiple platforms in several countries including France (Free), Portugal (MEO and NOS), Netherlands (KPN), Belgium (Telenet, Proximus & Orange) Luxembourg (Post TV) & Turkey(SSportPlus, TiviBu & Turksat Kablo).
In Asia too it enjoys wide reach being available on Now TV in Hong Kong, Astro in Malaysia and IndieHome & Dens TV in Indonesia. Sub-Saharan Africa is not left out either. W-Sport broadcasts in both English and French across more than 30 territories, including on Canal Plus.
Pioneers behind W-Sport
The network was initially launched in July 2021 by Mickey O’Rourke – also the co-founder and chief executive of the Premier Sports UK and Irish pay-TV channels – alongside Butler, a former senior vice-president at Fox Sports. Both O’Rourke and Butler have previously worked for the (now non-operational in the UK) pay-TV network Setanta Sports.
Kelly Butler, chief executive of W-Sport, said:
“This is another significant step in the journey and development of W-Sport. We are delighted to partner with du in the UAE and look forward to bringing their audience the very best female leagues, competitions, teams, and athletes from around the world.”
Their vision to create a dedicated 24/7 channel entirely focused on women’s sports has now become a reality with W-Sport's successful global expansion. This move marks an important milestone for women's sports broadcasting, promising increased visibility and recognition for female athletes worldwide.
