Ever since ownership of the WSL was passed over to Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) in the summer, we’ve been waiting to hear whether there would be a new broadcast deal – aka, the agreement between WPLL and broadcasters like the BBC and Sky which allows them to show live WSL games on their channels.
The existing deal, shared between the BBC and Sky, had been set to end in 2024, but was rolled over for another year at the start of the season to make more time for talks. But now, just six weeks into the 2024/25 WSL season, a new deal has already emerged.
Announced earlier today (30 October), the new deal sees more games being broadcast live on TV, with the WSL’s YouTube channel still playing a small role.
But what exactly does this deal mean for fans? And when can we expect this deal to take hold? Here’s everything you need to know about the WPLL’s latest move.
What does the WSL’s new broadcast deal involve?
The new broadcast deal is the most significant broadcast partnership ever established for women’s football in the UK and Ireland. It involves both the BBC and Sky, and will see both broadcasters commit to airing the WSL for a further five years. In short, that means every single WSL match will be aired live for us to enjoy.
The intricacies of the deal are a little more complicated. Sky will be taking on the role of lead broadcast partner, showing 118 matches a season, while the BBC will broadcast 21 matches. Both broadcasters will have ‘exclusive’ matches which are only shown on their channel; Sky will have 78 (including all the matches from the closing weekend of the season), while the BBC will have 14 exclusive matches.
Outside of these exclusive deals, there will also be some matches which are shared between broadcasters, including the WPLL’s YouTube channel. 41 of Sky’s 118 matches will be broadcast this way, with seven being shared with the BBC and 34 being shared with the WPLL’s YouTube channel. The BBC will also be doing audio commentary of selected matches across BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and local BBC radio.
The new partnership will also provide Sky with the option to show matches from the Championship and Women’s League Cup, including the final.
What does this new deal mean for fans, players and the league?
For fans, this deal means that a paid subscription will be required to watch a lot more WSL games; currently, just one match a week is shown on Sky.
But this broadcast deal is undoubtedly good news for women’s football as a whole; it brings a surge of revenue into the top tier of the game, and is guaranteed to get more eyes on the WSL. In fact, as part of the deal Sky has committed to innovating its coverage and providing promotion and marketing support to the league to grow the audience.
That’s good news, because all the WSL clubs have shares in the WPLL, so they’ll directly benefit from increased revenue – meaning more investment can be put back in the game.
Players are also set to benefit directly from the deal, as it gives them in-game and post-game rights. That means that players will be able to post game highlights and replays on their social media channels to promote the league further.
Image: Getty
