Thursday it was announced
that the National Women’s Soccer League
and FOX Sports Media Group have
signed a one-year television agreement. As part of the negotiation, FOX Soccer will broadcast a total of
nine NWSL matches. This will include six regular season matches and all three
playoff matches. The NWSL semifinals are to take place on August 24th
and 25th with the championship match slated for August 31st.
The NWSL season will be a length of 22 games.
FOX Soccer is the largest soccer
provider in the United States. FOX Soccer is the current home of the Barclays
Premier League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup, as well
as select CONCACAF matches. In addition, FOX Soccer has secured rights to the
2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which in itself is a major step forward for
women’s soccer.
Executive Director of the
NWSL, Cheryl Bailey, is very pleased
to have reached an agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. “The opportunity to
highlight the race for the playoffs and the three biggest games of season that
will decide the first league champion on national television is important for
the growth of the league”. As former General Manager of the U.S. Women’s National Team and current commissioner
of the NWSL, Bailey will serve as a leading figure in the development and
sustainability of women’s soccer.
She had this to say
regarding her position:
“I am dedicated to
ensuring that this league is set up with the best possible business model that
emphasizes sustainability above all else while giving players a competitive
environment in which to lay and creating something special for young girls to
aspire to do”.
For all you women’s soccer
fans, you’ll have to wait to till July 8th to catch your first
glimpse of the NWSL. Starting then, FOX Soccer will air one game per week for
the remainder of the season, leading up to playoffs. As for the exact games to
be televised, look out for the schedule to be released in the weeks to come.
This is an assertive move
by FOX Soccer to publicly support the growth of women’s soccer, specifically in
North America. The unveiling of this partnership has come at time when women’s
soccer is at its highest. With exponential success by the current USWNT, a TV
deal with FOX Soccer will hopefully further catapult the popularity of women’s
soccer.
David Nathanson, General Manager of FOX Soccer stated “the agreement with the NWSL
showcases our support of women’s soccer and the growing popularity it’s
experiencing in the country.” With the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup also to air
on FOX Soccer, the NWSL will foreshadow many of the sport’s top athletes.
If the NWSL sees success
in the years to come, the league could act as a competitive farm system for
selecting future national team rosters.
The National Women’s
Soccer League features teams in Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Portland,
Seattle, Piscataway, Washington, and Rochester. Expect the NWSL to expand to
twelve teams including the addition of several Canadian teams.
In other soccer news, NBC Sports has secured the rights to
the English Premier League,
including pre and post game studio coverage as well as streaming on desktop,
mobile and tablets. NBC Universal will be shelling out a total of $250 million over the three years of
this contract, an annual amount more than triple the $23 million per year paid
by FOX under its current contract.
As far as the breakdown of
the agreement, 154 games will be featured on NBC Sports Network, 22 games on
other NBC Universal channels, and 20 games on NBC. In addition, 184 games will
be aired on Premier League Extra Time,
available at no extra cost for customers of NBC Sports Network. NBC plans to air 30 hours of original Premier
League programming weekly on top of the 600 hours of weekly studio programming
on the NBC Sports Network.
Premier League CEO, Richard Scudamore weighed in on the
significance of the league partnership with NBC Universal. “Fundamentally, this
is a market of huge interest to our owners. The plans these guys have are a big
step for us.”
Coverage of the Premier
League will switch to NBC starting on August 17th.
---
---
Nice post! The WPS, predecessor to the NWSL, also had a Fox Soccer agreement but it was for weekly broadcast of games. It will be interesting to see how much traction the league gets as it will need to find a new partner next season with Fox Soccer closing shop all together late this summer.
ReplyDeleteNice post! The WPS, predecessor to the NWSL, also had a Fox Soccer agreement but it was for weekly broadcast of games. It will be interesting to see how much traction the league gets as it will need to find a new partner next season with Fox Soccer closing shop all together late this summer.
ReplyDelete