The National Women’s Soccer League saw unprecedented success in 2023 and is poised to carry that momentum into the future — which is why even decently strong viewership numbers for its championship game could be seen as a minor disappointment.
Saturday’s NWSL Championship, which saw NJ/NY Gotham FC defeat OL Reign 2-1 for their first title, averaged 817,000 viewers on CBS — the second-most-watched NWSL match of all time and the second ever to surpass 800,000 average viewers.
The downside? The most-watched NWSL match ever was the 2022 Championship (915,000 average viewers), meaning the title game saw a 10.7% and almost 100,000-viewer decrease year-over-year.
It’s also a bit troubling that the New Jersey and/or New York local television markets did not even crack the top 10 despite their team winning it all, per the Washington Post’s Steven Goff. On the other hand, Seattle-Tacoma — where OL Reign is based — was the No. 1 local market.
Still, there should be a lot of enthusiasm for the NWSL’s future on TV.
CBS Sports reports that the 2023 Championship was its most-streamed NWSL match on Paramount+ and saw double-digit growth compared to last year’s title game (specific figures were not disclosed).
This all came on the heels of the league signing a cumulative four-year, $240 million media rights deal with ESPN, CBS, Amazon, and Scripps Sports — the largest media deal in women’s sports history and an enormous increase from its previous pact that paid $1.5 million annually.
![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Dec 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; United States of America President Donald Trump, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney watch from the stands during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/USATSI_27745262_168416386_lowres-scaled.jpg?quality=100&w=1024)
