The Women’s Pro Baseball League has announced its first rights agreement with ESPN and Scripps Sports, but the agreements will not see any games airing on traditional television.
All 37 games of the inaugural season will stream on ESPN Select, the successor to ESPN+. In addition, 11 regular-season games will be simulcast on Scripps Sports Network, which is available on several free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services.
“Bringing the WPBL to ESPN is an exciting addition to our growing baseball offerings,” said Ashley O’Connor, Vice President of Programming at ESPN. “This agreement enhances our already strong baseball lineup, underscores our dedication to women’s sports, and provides fans with access to a compelling new professional league.”
The lack of any linear television coverage for the baseball league is notable. In its second season of play, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League featured extensive linear coverage across ESPN networks. Its championship, which was the first professional softball game to ever air on broadcast television, averaged 732,000 viewers on ABC, a record for professional softball.
Softball has long enjoyed much greater television exposure than women’s baseball, reflecting the sport’s more established position in the women’s sports landscape.
The inaugural WPBL season is also being played in August and September, which is a much busier time of year for sports than the AUSL’s June and July schedule. The AUSL also has a partnership with Major League Baseball, which sees some AUSL games air on MLB Network.
The AUSL also, for the first time in 2026, moved its teams to home markets. In contrast, the WPBL will play its first season entirely at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.
The four teams beginning play will represent key baseball cities: the Boston Hunters, Los Angeles Queens, New York Heights, and San Francisco Firebells.
The WPBL seems to have some inherent disadvantages compared to the AUSL, but with a broadcast agreement with ESPN secured, there is certainly reason to believe the league can find success in the future.
Women’s sports have seemingly never been more popular, with softball, basketball, and volleyball all seeing strong viewership in 2026.
About Manny Soloway
Manny Soloway is a Iowa based writer focusing on TV ratings. He is also the founder of the TV Media Blog substack.