NWSL Attendance Jumps 48%, CBS Viewership Up 21%

The average attendance for the NWSL is up 48% at the halfway mark of its 2023 regular season compared to last year.

The league also announced that total viewership on CBS is up 21% year-over-year, and unique streaming viewership on Paramount is up 50%. The numbers shared by the league span its first 60 regular season games through Week 10. 

“The #NWSL isn’t having a moment…It’s the moment! Congrats to all our club leadership, players, partners and employees on these solid mid-year results,” NWSL CMO Julie Haddon tweeted. 

Opening attendance in March through the NWSL’s first six games averaged 15,002 fans, a 50% jump over last season’s opening weekend. Teams such as NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current have set franchise records for single-game ticket sales this season. 

The NWSL hopes its viewership jump on CBS platforms will lead to an increase in media rights fees. CBS reportedly pays the league $1.5 million annually in a three-year deal set to expire after this season. 

In March, UFC owner Endeavor signed a deal to launch a free international streaming service to stream NWSL games for fans outside of the U.S. The NWSL is set to expand next season to 14 teams, with new teams in the Bay Area and Utah, but it will also face competition from the USL Super League, set to begin play in August 2024 with teams in eight U.S. cities.