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- NWSL also agrees non-exclusive deals with DAZN and Tigo
- CBS to air 23 matches, with Paramount+ to exclusively stream all additional games in the US
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has agreed a partnership with Endeavor Streaming to develop a global over-the-top (OTT) service that will allow fans outside the US to watch the upcoming season for free.
The agreement will allow the NWSL to offer its own live game product to overseas viewers for the first time via the NWSLSoccer.com portal. The new service will offer live coverage for every league match during the 2023 season and will be powered by Endeavor Streaming’s back-end technology.
“We are excited to put a global spotlight on the exceptional players who bring top tier competition and entertainment to the NWSL,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. “Especially with this being a World Cup year, we’re looking forward to providing our global fanbase the opportunity to watch these players compete for their respective NWSL clubs before the World Cup competition begins and upon their return this summer.”
Pete Bellamy, Endeavor Streaming’s chief commercial officer, added: “We’re excited to continue our global momentum in women’s sport, helping some of the biggest leagues and federations in the world grow their audience, increase accessibility and build direct relationships with their fans.”
In addition to its direct-to-consumer (DTC) service, the league has also announced two streaming deals with media companies DAZN and Tigo.
DAZN has acquired the non-exclusive broadcasting rights for the upcoming season covering several key markets in Europe such as the UK, Germany and Spain, as well as Brazil and Japan. The UK-based company will cover games during the NWSL’s regular season, the playoffs, championship and the NWSL Challenge Cup.
Subscribers will be able to watch at least two matches per week, with the offering also including non-live content. Highlights will be made available on DAZN and DAZN’s Women’s Football YouTube channel geo-targeted in its contracted territories.
Meanwhile, Central American-based distributor Tigo will provide non-exclusive coverage of the NWSL in selected territories including Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama.
The two deals come after the league reached an agreement with Canadian pay-TV broadcaster TSN, with live coverage of NWSL matches to be shown across the TSN network and on its TSN+ streaming platform.
In the US, CBS enters the last season of its domestic broadcast partnership that provides multi-platform coverage of all 176 NWSL matches. Six matches will air on CBS’ linear commercial network, including the Challenge Cup final and the NWSL’s championship game, while the CBS Sports Network pay-TV channel will air 23 matches across the regular season, playoffs and the Challenge Cup.
The Paramount+ DTC service will exclusively stream all additional matches live for US viewers and selected live games will also feature on the new CBS Sports Golazo free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel, which is set to launch next month.
