NWSL signs four-year rights deal with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports

Source: Brandon Todd/NWSL

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has secured US coverage across CBS Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and Scripps Sports in a four-year rights deal.

The deal is worth $240 million to the league over four years, according to ESPN sources, a significant increase to the three-year $4.5m deal that was previously in place with CBS.

Starting in 2024, 118 matches will be distributed across the four broadcast partners. NWSL matches will be split through a minimum of 21 games for CBS Sports, 20 for ESPN and ABC, 27 for Prime Video and 50 for Scripps Sports.

All NWSL matches on ESPN platforms and on ABC will stream live on ESPN+ in English and Spanish. The package also includes English, Spanish and Portuguese-language rights in Latin America.

“These partnerships fundamentally change the game for our league and the players who take the pitch each week. On behalf of the NWSL, our owners and players, I want to commend CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps for investing in our league and affirmatively declaring to the marketplace that this league is exciting, valuable, and important,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. “We have taken great care to ensure our games are discoverable by increasing our reach in order to expose new audiences to everything that makes our league special, without compromising the economic value of our product. This is the beginning of our future.”

“The NWSL is among the world’s best women’s professional soccer leagues, and we are excited to showcase the league, the clubs and the incredible athletes to sports fans,” said Rosalyn Durant, ESPN’s executive vice president of programming and acquisitions. “This agreement further strengthens our leadership position as the home for women’s sports.”

Marie Donoghue, VP U.S. sports content & partnerships, Amazon, said: “We are honored to collaborate with the NWSL as it continues to grow into one of the most prestigious leagues in the world, with remarkable athletes and world-class competition. We are committed to providing premium content for Prime members and championing women’s sports—this landmark deal achieves both”.