BBC and Sky Sports announce record-breaking WSL broadcast deal

The FA, BBC, and Sky Sports have announced a historic TV deal which will see the Women’s Super League broadcasted on Sky Sports from next season. The deal is worth about £8m a year, the largest for any professional women’s football league in the world, and will run for three seasons.

Sky Sports will show 44 WSL games, with 35 of them on their Premier League and Live Event channels. The BBC will show 22 games, with 18 of 22 on BBC One or BBC Two. All other matches will be shown on the FA Player.

The managing director of Sky Sports, Robert Webster, said Sky Sports would give “the Women’s Super League the full Sky Sports treatment with lengthy buildups and reaction to all live matches, plus a daily narrative of the league across Sky Sports News and our digital platforms.”

The money from the broadcast rights will go to central investments, including referee development and pitch improvements, while the rest will be split by the clubs across the two divisions. 25% will go to the FA Women’s Championship, while 75% will go to the WSL, with the expectation that some of the split will be merit based.