Women’s sports are increasingly easier to find on TV as more broadcasters invest in its growth — and now there’s a 24/7 dedicated network.
FAST Studios launched the Women’s Sports Network on Wednesday offering more than 1,000 hours of content, including documentaries. The LPGA, the WNBA, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Premier Hockey Federation, and Athletes Unlimited are among the 12 professional women’s sports leagues and federations that are content partners.
The venture studio also has plans for live games, tournaments, and events — reportedly as soon as January.
The network, which is free and supported by advertisers, will be available on streaming channels including Amazon Freevee, Fox Corp.’s Tubi, FuboTV, and LG channels on LG smart TVs.
“The numbers don’t lie — we know that fans want to see more women’s sports,” said WNBA champion A’ja Wilson.
- The 2022 WNBA season was the most watched in 14 years.
- The 2022 NWSL Championship was the most viewed in league history and the first in primetime thanks to support from Ally Financial. The game was originally scheduled for noon.
In 2019, only 5% of sports coverage from major broadcast networks was allocated to women’s sports.
Primetime Shine
The network creates flexibility, too.
“We have prime time wide open,” said Carol Stiff, Women’s Sports Network board of advisors chair. “We’re 24/7, and we can put games and stories and documentaries where the league partners want their games to be played, versus being forced into areas or windows that they don’t even want to be in.”
