Women pro combat-sports fighters are punching their way to the top of high-profile pay-per-view and televised fight cards as the familiarity of top female athletes in boxing and mixed martial arts, along with the quality of their fights, clicks with both distributors and fans.

Once considered a novelty, industry observers said female fighters are now garnering an unprecedented level of acceptance and respect. “Women fighters used to be a big joke, but now people look at them and say they actually can fight,” said Tony Paige, a former boxing broadcaster and sports-talk host on WFAN New York. “No one’s running to the fridge anymore because a women’s fight is on TV.” 

Women have been in the boxing game for decades, with such names as Laila Ali, Christy Martin and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde bringing attention to female fisticuffs back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Martin’s 1996 bout against Deirdre Gogarty was among the first women’s bouts to appear on a major PPV telecast as an undercard fight to Mike Tyson-Frank Bruno. Ali and Frazier-Lyde, the daughters of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, respectively, fought in 2001 in what is considered to be the first PPV event headlined by a women’s boxing match, according to ESPN.

Paige, who currently writes sports stories for the New York Daily News, said back then there weren’t enough good women fighters to keep female boxing competitive and interesting. Also, past and current critics of female boxing point to the specialized rules set for participants — including 2-minute rounds compared to 3 minutes for men’s matches, as well as larger glove sizes for women — as a detriment to putting women fighters on par with male boxers.

Today’s crop of female boxers are plentiful, talented, and not afraid to fight each other in very competitive matchups, Paige said. 

Taylor-Serrano Stirs Interest

Indeed, Netflix will stream one of the biggest bouts of the year between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano as a co-main event on its November 15 Jake Paul-Mike Tyson card. Taylor and Serrano’s 2022 fight, streamed by DAZN, was the first ever to feature women headliners at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Taylor’s split decision win over Serrano was named Sports Illustrated’s 2022 fight of the year.  

This past July, multiple world women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields headlined a DAZN pay-per-view boxing telecast as she defeated Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse to win the women’s heavyweight title.

DAZN has put female fighters at the forefront of its boxing cards for years, according to VP of marketing Alfie Sharman. He would not provide specific PPV numbers for the Shields Lepage-Joanisse event but said it surpassed purchase expectations. 

“If you put two people at the top of their game in any field, even if you’ve never heard of them, you’d be hard-pressed not to be impressed by them,” Sharman said. “The more these talented athletes want to fight at the top level, the more the consumer is going to enjoy it irrespective of gender because at the end of the day, it’s good, quality action.”

Women fighters also fight on major UFC mixed martial arts PPV and televised events. This past July, ESPN’s UFC Fight Night featured as its main event a women’s strawweight bout between Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba, one of four female-led cards the network televised this year. 

Female fighters have appeared on UFC PPV and in televised events since 2013 when Ronda Rousey fought Liz Carmouche in the first-ever women’s UFC fight. 

UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter has also prominently featured women. The recently completed 32nd season of the ESPN Plus-distributed reality show, where 16 male and female prospects fight in an elimination tournament, was coached by UFC stars Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. 

The show’s 30th season also featured two female fighter coaches in Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes. 

Other female fighters such as Profess­ional Fighters League (PFL)-owned Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and UFC fighter/two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison are also advancing the awareness and appeal of women’s combat sports.

ESPN VP of acquisitions Matt Kenny said shows like The Ultimate Fighter as well as live, televised fight cards that feature marquee female fighters tend to draw both hard core fans and casual viewers — including women — to the sport.

“Those events featuring female athletes have the ability to cut through the clutter, whether you’re a diehard mixed martial arts fan or not, so we know that it’s going to attract a huge audience,” Kenny said. “We know that combat sports also skews younger, so there’s so much that we’re bullish on with respect to the category.” 

Women fighters are scheduled to appear in several high-profile events through the fall. Along with Netflix’s November Taylor-Serrano boxing match, ESPN’s September 27 fight card will feature as its main event a bout between welterweight champion Sandy Ryan and Mikaela Mayer. 

In the octagon, UFC flyweight champion Grasso will defend her belt against Shevchenko as part of the highly-anticipated September 14 UFC 306 in Las Vegas. Also, Bellator’s Cyborg is set to co-headline an October PFL PPV fight card.

It’s inevitable more women combat athletes will gain exposure from marquee televised events, according to Kenny. “The beauty about combat sports is there’s no shortage of compelling storylines, so there’s really no ceiling,” he said. “The women’s division continues to be a prominent aspect of the UFC and we’ve had a number of PPV events on our platforms that have featured women athletes, including Amanda Nunes and Claressa Shields. For us, it’s about covering and celebrating the absolute best in the sport.” 

Popularity Outside the Ring

The growing interest in female combat sports athletes can also be seen on screens big and small. Movies like Netflix’s 2021 Halle Berry starrer Bruised and documentaries like HBO’s 2024 The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez have chronicled the lives of both fictional and true-life fighters.

This December, MGM’s film The Fire Inside will follow boxing champion Shields’ life through her difficult childhood to her eventual gold medal-winning performance in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Shields would also win gold in 2016.

The growing interest in all women’s sports, including the WNBA, softball and soccer, has helped lift the profile of women combat sports beyond the ring and octagon, said Mark Taffet, Shields’ promoter. 

“The values of society have changed and progressed, and that has created opportunities for these talented athletes to excel within the sports and entertainment space,” Taffet, a former HBO Sports executive, said. 

Coming off a record-setting women’s college basketball tournament, a new survey confirms what the ratings have already been saying about the popularity of women’s sports.

According to Magid, interest in women’s college basketball grew by 50%, to 18% of respondents in the Magid AD.VANTAGE survey from 12% last May.

“This isn't just about new fans coming to sports, or more women following sports. The core group driving this is already the core sports fan base,“ Magid executive VP of local media Jaime Spencer said. "So, more seasoned sports fans are adopting these additional sports, which speaks to the potential for the trends to stick.” 

According to the research, 34% of March 2024 survey respondents said they were watching the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament this year. 

The biggest gains in the survey came among younger men with children at home. 

Magid found an even greater jump in attention to women’s professional sports, with interest growing to 21% of those surveyed from 13% a year ago.

“When you factor the growing WNBA figures into this, we see a real trend with staying power, particularly as the number of stars coming up in college continues to grow,“ Spencer said. “Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly the face of this women’s sports growth, but it is bigger than just her. What is really cool is that it appears she may be ushering in a trend that will grow beyond and even outlast her.” 

Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion’s Friday night WNBA telecasts.

State Farm has also signed up for Ion’s National Women’s Soccer League Saturday Night Soccer. The insurance company will have primary brand positioning and in-game sponsorships.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“State Farm is a champion for women’s sports, and this sponsorship is one way we’re committed to bringing more awareness and visibility,” said Kristyn Cook, Chief Agency, Sales & Marketing Officer, State Farm. “We believe that few things in today’s world capture our attention, ignite our passion and connect our communities like sports.”

 Also Read: GroupM To Double Ad Spending on Women’s Sports Programming 

State Farm has had an 11-year relationship with the WNBA, dating back to 2013, when it became presenting sponsor of the WNBA Draft. Caitlin Clark, the all-time college basketball scoring leader for Iowa was the first collegiate and female athlete State Farm signed to its Team State Farm athlete roster,

“State Farm is a fantastic sponsor and a brand that shares our belief that women’s sports and female athletes deserve the same high-profile recognition and opportunities as their male counterparts,” said Tony Lamerato, VP of revenue and sponsorships for Scripps Sports. “State Farm doesn’t just talk about it. It shows its commitment with actions.”

Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women’s sports.

Sports continue to get big ratings on TV and women’s sports have been gaining viewers. 

GroupM said it will be forming a marketplace dedicated to women’s sports and will be looking for first-look and first-to-market opportunities beginning with the 2024-25 upfront, with clients including adidas, Ally, Coinbase, Discovery, Google, Mars, Nationwide, Unilever and Universal Pictures participating.

“Our industry has seen the incredible impact of investing in women’s sports over the last several years, but even with continued momentum, women’s sports investments only comprise a mere fraction of total media spend in sports,” said Matt Sweeney, chief investment officer at GroupM U.S. “Starting with this year’s Upfront negotiations, our team will procure elevated opportunities that are a win-win for our advertisers. GroupM advertisers have challenged the marketplace to flip the script on how to invest in women’s sports, and they will continue to play a pivotal role moving forward.”

The effort was kicked off by Ally chief marketing and PR officer Andrea Brimmer, who asked GroupM to establish an advertising marketplace for women’s sports.

“Creating a dedicated marketplace for women’s sports beginning at this year’s Upfront marks a significant step forward in driving real impact in the business of women’s sports,” said Brimmer. “At Ally, we dreamed about reimagining the investment approach so we could drive systemic change in the way women’s sports media is bought and sold. And, today, through the leadership of GroupM and their many clients across industries, this dream is becoming a reality.”

Interest in women’s sports started to gain traction about three years ago, Martin Blich, executive director, Sports and Live Investment, GroupM U.S., told Broadcasting+Cable.

Leagues like the WNBA and the National Women’s Soccer League have recently signed new television rights deal and are open to new sponsorship opportunities.

Women’s college basketball drew a huge audience when Caitlin Clark of Iowa broke the college scoring record.

“The Caitlin Clark effect has been very good for women’s sports, but that's not to say that that's where that ends," Blich said. 

Over the next 10 years, he expects more women athletes to set records. “We’re going to see more and more growth within women’s sports because of that.”

Blich said that nearly all categories that currently advertise in men’s sports could sponsor women’s sports as well.

“Women’s sports is a natural place for Unilever’s brands to show up, and we have been increasing our investments in this space for years,” said Aaron Sobol, Head of Media Investment U.S., at Unilever. “We’re thrilled to see audience engagement and marketer investment increasing and for the media buying opportunities to continue to mature. We are very supportive of this effort by GroupM and the sports marketplace to drive simplicity for marketers investing in women’s sports.” 

Advertising in women’s sports paid off for GroupM client adidas. Commercials featuring female athletes were 69% more effective than the brand’s average ad on broadcast and cable in 2023, according to research and analytics company EDO.

Overall, advertising in women’s sports drives positive brand impact and increased ad effectiveness, EDO found.

“Beyond prioritizing investing in women’s sports as a whole, we need to challenge the way advertising and sponsorship packages are bought and sold,” said Blich added.  We hope our commitment will help brands execute a more holistic investment strategy centered around audience, while increasing overall sports advertising.”

Some GroupM clients have been advertising in women’s sports for some time. 

“In the spring of 2021, Nationwide became the exclusive insurance partner of the National Women's Soccer League,” said Sara Sorce, associate VP, media, at Nationwide. 

“Since then, we’ve expanded our relationship with a multiyear extension. We are thrilled to see the support of women’s sports reimagined with the creation of a women’s sports dedicated marketplace,” Sorce said. “As a former female athlete, I believe that investment in women’s sports reaches far beyond the field–creating leaders and fostering diversity. Nationwide is proud to partner on leading the way to scale women’s sports opportunities and overall representation in the media landscape”

Clients of all GroupM media agencies -- Mindshare, Wavemaker and EssenceMediacom -- will be able to participate in this year’s dedicated women’s sports marketplace, GroupM said.

Women’s sports are attracting more viewers, and according to research company EDO, commercials that air in women’s sporting events are growing in ad effectiveness.

EDO, which focuses on measuring the impact of ads on viewer behavior, said in a new report that ad effectiveness women’s tennis, basketball and other sports rose by double digits from last year.

Caitlin Clark, who set the record for most points by a college basketball player this month, also scored for insurer State Farm. The State Farm spots in which the Iowa sharpshooter appears are 46% more likely to generate engagement than the average State Farm ads.

“Naturally, the growing interest in women’s sports presents a major opportunity for TV advertisers,” said Laura Grover, senior VP, head of client solutions at EDO. “After all, live sports have consistently been the TV programs most successful at driving consumers to engage with brands that advertise during them — generating key outcomes like online searches that are proven predictors of future sales.”

The best-performing women’s sport was tennis, with Wimbledon and U.S. Open matches, which outperformed the average primetime broadcast and cable ad by just over 50%.

The WNBA’s ad engagement is growing rapidly. EDO found that in the regular season, engagement was up 7% from a year ago and during the playoffs it was up 23%. In the finals, there was a 30% jump. Brands aimed at men saw strong results advertising during WNBA games, with Bosley Hair Restoration sprouting engagement that was 341% higher than the average WNBA advertiser, Old Spice racking up results 134% higher and Hims registering 51% greater engagement.

Sportswear makers saw their engagement rise with ads featuring women athletes. Adidas’s ads were 69% higher, Puma saw a 62% lift, Nike gained 16% and Viori rose 8%

Disney Advertising said it is offering advertisers a new women’s sports package its calling Level Up.

With women’s sports driving an increasing number of viewers, Disney’s Level Up package includes programming on ESPN linear, streaming and addressable platforms, plus on-site events and thought leadership opportunities.

Disney ‘calls it a “first-of-its-kind opportunity for brands to join the power of women’s sports,” and said it was designed to be multi-platform and multi-partner.

Deals would include custom integrations and interactive ads during live games, as well as visibility on the ACC and SEC networks.

“With year-round women's sports programming, Disney aired over 33,000 hours in 2022 alone and this isn't new to us — we’ve been doing it for decades,” the company said. “Marquee live events on Disney platforms include the NCAA women’s basketball championship and a suite of ascending women’s college sports (gymnastics, softball, etc.), Grand Slam tennis, WNBA, and more. There is no better place for brands to invest their dollars if they’re looking to support women’s athletics and now with Level Up, Disney has revolutionized the way in which they can do so.”

TV Sportsplay is a podcast from Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News that offers in-depth discussions with network executives and on-air personalities about the business of sports.

Multichannel News/Broadcasting + Cable's R. Thomas Umstead sits down with The Women's Sports Network founder and CEO Stuart McLean to discuss the 24/7 streaming network dedicated to covering pro women’s sports leagues. The network, created by FAST Studios, has partnership deals with such leagues as the WNBA and the LPGA to develop content for the channel, and has distribution deals with such outlets as Fubo TV, Tubi, Xumo and Amazon Freevee.

Also: A TV Field of Their Own

Advertisers looking to reach a growing younger, diverse and high-income audience should be taking a look at women’s sports, according to a new report from Samba TV.

Samba points to an 81% ratings increase for the March Madness of the women’s college basketball champions, a 171% jump for the WNBA Finals and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship growing 453%.

“2022 was a breakout year for women’s sports and a watershed moment for female athletes and the industry overall,” Samba TV chief marketing officer Meredith Brace said. “Smart advertisers and broadcasters alike took advantage of the broad and growing appeal of women’s sports in 2022, and their investments were rewarded by massive double and triple-digit growth in audiences. The movement surrounding women’s sports and their diverse superfans provides an unprecedented opportunity to reach younger and more affluent audiences from every corner of the nation.” 

Samba TV notes that 39% of Gen Z sports fans are watching more women’s sports than a year ago. Samba TV’s data shows that women’s sports over-indexes in its share of more diverse, younger and wealthier viewers. 

The biggest advertisers in the Women’s March Madness were Nissan, Capital One, GEICO, DirecTV and Degree antiperspirant.

While TV offers advertisers big opportunities with women’s sports, Samba TV also pointed to stats from Relo Metric showing a 200% year-over-year increase in media value for in-stadium sponsorships during the 2022 Women’s Championship League semi-finals.

“Despite what is truly a near-universal appeal from an audience perspective, coverage of women’s sporting events still significantly lags behind where viewership interest tells us it should be,” Brace said. “With a strong and rapidly growing fanbase, engaged advertisers are seeing significant ROI and an incredible lineup of sporting event moments worth prime TV placements in the year ahead. 

“Broadcasters should take note for 2023 and give women’s sporting events the primetime placement they deserve,” she continued. “There has never been a better time for advertisers and broadcasters alike to tap into the extraordinary growth of live women’s sporting events.” ▪️

ESPN said basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo has signed a new multi-year deal with the network.

Lobo will continue to lead ESPN’s coverage of women’s basketball and the WNBA.

“Rebecca is one of the best in the business. She excels on both game coverage and studio coverage,” said Patricia Lowry, ESPN VP of production. “Her knowledge, history, and passion for the game and its growth continue to make us better.  She is a true asset and a highly valued member of our team.”

“Rebecca has played a significant role in the growth of women’s basketball throughout both her playing and broadcasting careers, and we’re thrilled she will continue to elevate ESPN’s coverage of both the WNBA and the college game,” added coordinating producer Sara Gaiero. “Rebecca is one of the sport’s most credible voices, consistently educating our fans with sharp, insightful analysis while entertaining with her humor and wit.”

Lobo led the University of Connecticut Huskies to an undefeated championship season in college and played for the New York Liberty during the WNBA’s first season in 1997. She joined ESPN in 2004.

“I am thrilled to continue doing what I love, calling women’s basketball games,” said Lobo. “It is an honor to be a part of the soundtrack for the games played by these incredible female athletes.” ■

As the U.S. continues to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark Title IX legislation that greatly expanded women’s sports opportunities, TV is paying homage by offering an unprecedented amount of live women’s sports content across linear and digital platforms.

More live college and professional women’s sports events this year are finding homes on the major linear TV networks and streaming services than at any time before, and viewers and sponsors have responded in the way the programmers have hoped they would. 

Industry executives said the celebration of the landmark Title IX legislation — which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or educational program that receives funding from the federal government — along with the continued appeal and demand of live sports programming in a crowded television environment and an overall increase in media coverage of quality women’s sports competition has helped create the right conditions for growth.

“We’ve always said it’s such an underrepresented and undersold product that has a ton of upside and potential, so it’s great to finally see that it’s taken an upswing, and the numbers and data back it,” two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer champion Julie Foudy said. 

The amount of women’s sports programming on television has grown strongly over the past few years as interest in the events have grown and more distribution outlets are available to showcase them.

➤ CBS Sports over the past decade has increased women’s sports programming by 50% (by 200% over the past five years) on its linear CBS Sports Network, showcasing such premier properties as the National Women’s Soccer League, Ladies Professional Golf Association events and Women’s National Basketball Association games. 

“We’re doing more in this space than we’ve ever done across our linear and digital platforms,” CBS Sports executive VP of programming Dan Weinberg said. “All of our [properties] are featuring the best athletes in the world, unbelievable athleticism, dynamic performances on the court and on the field, which makes for good television.” 

➤ Fox Sports has doubled its on-air women’s sports fare since 2017, mainly through the 2019 Women’s World Cup coverage and increased college sports events. 

➤ ESPN aired more than 25,000 hours of women’s sports programming across its platforms from the period of September 2021 to June 2022, up 50% from the same period a year prior, according to network officials. 

➤ On the streaming side, Amazon Prime Video holds exclusive rights to offer the WNBA’s Championship Cup midseason tournament finals, while NBC-owned Peacock last month aired exclusively every stage of the first Women’s Tour de France competition in 33 years.  

A More Varied Menu

While women’s sports events like pro and college basketball, pro golf and tennis, and  Olympics-themed sports like gymnastics and ice skating have dominated the women’s TV sports landscape in terms of popularity and ratings, network executives say other sports such as college softball, lacrosse and ice hockey are finding an audience of passionate and rabid fans.

Women athletes are also delivering big punches in the combat sports arena. In June, champions Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor faced off in the main event of a DAZN-streamed pro boxing matchup at New York’s Madison Square Garden — the first time two women headlined a major boxing event in the legendary arena’s history. A month later in the octagon, mixed-martial-arts champions Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes headlined pay-per-view event UFC 277 in one of the most-anticipated fights of the year. 

“There’s so much more to women’s sports than just a single note, and the increased accessibility of the content puts wind behind a lot of other sports in addition to women’s basketball,” ESPN president of content and original programming Burke Magnus said. 

That increase has paid off for ESPN and ABC in terms of increased viewing for such events. ESPN’s May 29 North Carolina-Boston College women’s lacrosse championship drew a network record 428,000 viewers for the sport, while the June Oklahoma-Texas softball Women’s College World Series championship averaged 1.6 million viewers, according to the network. ESPN’s August Little League Softball World Series also set a network record for the sport, averaging 294,000 viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, the network said.

On the professional side, WNBA regular-season coverage on ESPN and ABC posted a 19% year-to-year audience increase, with 2022 finishing as the league’s most-watched season on the Disney-owned networks since 2008, according to Nielsen. 

ESPN’s ratings success is due in part to the network’s long-running focus on women’s content, Magnus said. “We put 20 years of sweat equity in building college sports programming into something that is really, really meaningful and is drawing huge audiences,” he said.

NBC Sports has also been cultivating women’s sports for decades, dominated by its Summer and Winter Olympics coverage. NBC Sports said its Olympics coverage every two years provides NBC with the most broadcast network hours of women’s sports. 

NBC Olympics Production president and executive producer Molly Solomon pointed to the network’s coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics as a turning point for women’s sports on TV. Several teams and athletes featured for the first time catapulted women’s sports to the forefront of the sports pages and highlights shows.

“The U.S. women won gold in softball and basketball, and out of those Olympics came the [creation of] the WNBA,” Solomon said. “I don’t think you can ever underestimate what the Olympics does for women’s sports every two years — it’s 17 nights of women’s sports in primetime.”

The fruits of NBC’s Olympics labor were seen in NBC’s post-Super Bowl LVI coverage of the Beijing Winter Games this past February. About 30 million viewers stayed after the Los Angeles Rams’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals to watch live Olympics programming, anchored by Kaillie Humphries’s gold medal performance in the women’s monobob finals. 

“That was a moment for women’s sports, and I think that it just shows the appetite and interest in women’s sports,” Solomon said, adding that three of the five most-watched nights for NBC’s 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing were dominated by female competition-driven content, highlighted by the women’s individual and team ice skating events. 

That appetite for live sports programming among fans and television distributors has aided the explosion of women’s sports across all platforms, TV analyst Lee Berke said. He also pointed to the growing interest in sports programming among streaming services as a catalyst for the explosion in women’s content on television. 

“As you have more platforms, you’re looking for more sports rights, so now there are distribution homes for women’s sports content beyond soccer and basketball,” Berke said. “The additional exposure leads to additional media coverage, which adds to additional interest among fans and ultimately commands the interest of a growing number of media outlets.”

Amazon VP of global sports video Marie Donoghue said women’s sports programming will be a major piece of the network’s overall live sports acquisition strategy in the foreseeable future as the service looks to attract avid and engaged sports fans. Along with its package of live WNBA regular-season games, the network will feature women’s mixed martial arts bouts as part of its recently signed television deal with Asian-based martial arts franchise One Championship, which launched its first fight card on the streaming service last month. 

“I’ve always been a huge supporter and fan of women’s sports and I’ve always thought that increased access and availability would lead to increased consumption and engagement,” she said. “We want to reflect our viewers in the world we live in, so we’re always looking for more women’s content and live sports.” 

Fox Sports executive VP and head of programming Bill Wanger said that an increase in women’s sports programming has also brought an increase in female viewers. He pointed to the audience for Fox Sports’ coverage of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Women made up 40% of the overall viewing audience, compared to 35% for most live TV sports events. 

On a cultural level, women’s sports programs have been cultivating an audience for decades. Since Title IX was introduced in 1972, a generation of women has grown up participating in sports, particularly on the collegiate level. Those players are now fans and they are helping the drive to generate even more exposure for the content on both linear and digital platforms, according to Angela Ruggiero, CEO of sports marketing company Sports Innovation Lab.

“Women’s sports are benefiting from this big digital transformation,” said Ruggiero, whose company provides research to help sports organizations understand and better target sports fans. “Not only are fans watching, but they are also connecting to female athletes directly through social media and the athletes are going directly to the consumer now.” Ruggiero is also an Olympic gold medalist, winning as a member of the 1998 U.S. women’s ice hockey team.

The #MeToo movement and other women’s rights campaigns have also helped to build demand for female-focused content in general and women’s sports programming in particular. They have also helped women athletes make inroads toward pay and endorsement parity with their male counterparts. 

Recent milestone achievements such as the U.S. national women’s soccer team gaining equal pay with the men’s team, female pro tennis players receiving equal prize money in all four Grand Slam tennis tournaments and the National Women’s Soccer League reaching an historic collective bargaining agreement in 2022 have moved the needle toward placing female athletes on equal footing with their male counterparts. 

“From a social standpoint, it’s seen as moving things forward, so there’s that diversity component to it in terms of really enforcing the goals of Title IX,” Berke said. 

Bringing the Star Power

On the field, the record-setting athletic achievements of such stars as U.S. gymnastics champion Simone Biles, pro tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, women’s U.S. Soccer Team gold medalists Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe and WNBA stars Candace Parker and Breanna Stewart have helped shine a light on the high quality of athletic play, which has led to increased interest in women’s sports programming.

“The high-profile female athletes, whether they’re from the WNBA or the World Cup teams, have a lot of appeal because they are really good,” Fox Sports’s Wanger said. “If they weren’t good and the competitions weren’t strong, the viewership would not be there.”   

The superstar athlete status of many female athletes has also translated to a building of personal brands that have drawn sponsorships and advertising deals to themselves and to the sports they play. 

As a result, NBC says companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Visa and Procter & Gamble have stepped up and supported women’s programming across multiple sports, as well as Toyota for NBC’s coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics. “There are a lot of companies that really have come on board that are making all of this come to fruition,” Solomon said.

ESPN in June drew advertisers Champion, Google and Gatorade to its Fifty/50 initiative surrounding the Title IX 50th anniversary, which included a sponsorship in a four-part documentary, 37 Words, among other on-air programming. 

“Advertisers are really putting their money where their mouth is in terms of being associated from a sales and sponsorship perspective with women’s sports,” Magnus said. “That’s going to be a big focus of ours going forward.” 

Foudy, who was on the U.S. women’s national soccer team that won gold in Atlanta in 1996 and currently serves as an ESPN commentator, believes we’re just in the early stages of realizing the economic and viewership potential of women’s sports programming. 

“When networks and advertisers really get behind it and tap into the huge fan base for women’s sports, there’s really no ceiling to how high women’s sports can go,” Foudy said. “We’re just scratching the surface in terms of women’s sports on so many different levels. We’ve been waiting for a long time for this, and there’s such pride in seeing that what we felt for a very long time is now being felt by others.” ▪️

A+E Networks has bought an equity stake in the National Women’s Soccer League and A+E’s Lifetime cable channel will become the broadcast partner and a sponsor of the league for three years.

“As a former college athlete, I know the importance of sports in the lives of women and girls and I couldn’t be more thrilled to join forces with NWSL and U.S. Soccer to ensure professional women athletes are elevated as the entire country can watch and be inspired by their strength and athleticism. The teams are filled with some of the best professional players in the world, and we are proud to welcome them to Lifetime,” A+E CEO Nancy Dubuc said in a statement.

The media company and the league have formed a joint venture, NWSL Media, that will act as the media and commercial arm of the league and oversee broadcast and sponsorship rights. NWSL Media will also manage the league’s digital assets, including the redesigned NWSLSoccer.com and a new app. Lifetime will schedule a NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime on Saturdays at 4 p.m., marking the first time a league game is carried on national TV on a regular basis. Player jerseys will carry a Lifetime patch on their right sleeve.

For more, see B&C.