The NWSL has found a new media partner to host its Sunday night package.
After being part of the cohort of franchises and leagues to drop streaming platform Victory+ amid the company’s financial uncertainty last month, the NWSL has come to terms with Roku to take over the package of Sunday night games. Beginning this Sunday, Aug. 30, the free Roku Sports Channel will stream the NWSL’s Sunday night matches. The deal will run through the remainder of the season (eight games) and continue next season for a full slate of 25 games.
“We were incredibly encouraged by the level of interest in this package and the competitiveness of the process, which speaks to the growing value of NWSL media rights,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman told The Athletic. “Ultimately, Roku stood out as the right partner because of its tremendous scale, commitment to discoverability and ability to reach both existing fans and entirely new audiences.”
Roku, the streaming distribution platform currently undergoing an acquisition by Fox, will reportedly pay a rights fee to the league for the package. The NWSL will continue to pay for the production costs associated with televising games.
It’s fair to say this is a considerable upgrade for the NWSL. Roku offers far more reach and discoverability that Victory+ given the widespread adoption of its interface and the popularity of its streaming offering, The Roku Channel. Nielsen’s most recent Gauge report slotted The Roku Channel as the fifth most-watched streamer in the U.S. in the month of June.
Following the 2027 season, the NWSL’s other national media rights deals with CBS, ESPN, Prime Video, and Ion draw to a close, meaning the league will return to market with all of its inventory in play. Those deals were reported to generate a combined $60 million annually. As other major sports rights like MLB, the NHL, and even the NFL are coming into play as early as next year, it’ll be interesting to see where the NWSL lands in a very competitive market for sports rights.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.