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- 24-hour channel to provide LPGA, US Ski & Snowboard and World Surf League coverage
- Specialist sports media companies GoodSport and Empower Onyx to offer content support
Los Angeles-based Fast Studios has announced the launch of the Women’s Sports Network, a dedicated 24-hour streaming service for women’s sport.
The ‘multi-million dollar’ project will see the creation of a free, ad-supported streaming platform, which will initially feature the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), US Ski & Snowboard, and the World Surf League (WSL) in its content offering. The Women’s Sports Network will also offer women’s sports news programming.
The 24-hour network will debut in 2022 on ‘major’ streaming platforms in the US, with Fast Studios set to manage the channel’s programming, advertising and distribution operations.
The Women’s Sports Network will also be supported by specialist sports media companies GoodSport and Empower Onyx, with the latter providing expertise in telling the stories of Black female athletes.
Carol Stiff, vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN, will join the new network’s advisory board alongside Sophie Goldschmidt (pictured above), the chief executive of US Ski & Snowboard. Goldschmidt previously served as the chief executive of the WSL and has held leadership positions at the National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the European Tour, and Adidas.
“Women’s sports programming has been too hard to find on TV for too long. Brands are telling us that they want to support female athletes, and they appreciate how brand-safe and relatable they are,” said Stiff.
“When we launch, 50 years after Title IX started the ball rolling towards parity for women’s sports in America, the Women’s Sports Network will fill a void that has been plaguing brands and audiences alike.”
Goldschmidt added: “There is a huge, underserved market for women’s sports on television. Currently, female athletes receive only four per cent of sports media coverage despite making up 40 per cent of all participants in sports.
“The new Women’s Sports Network is primed for success with our initial slate of content partnerships with key sports organisations, deep relationships with brand marketers, and the growing demand for a premiere destination for women’s sports.”
