Soccer-NWSL has plenty of 'ammo' for TV rights deal, says Angel City's Ohanian

NEW YORK : The National Women's Soccer League will have "ammo" when its TV rights deal expires at the end of 2023, Angel City FC lead investor Alexis Ohanian told Reuters, as broadcast executives and FIFA say the women's game deserves a bigger cut of the pie.

The NWSL entered its deal with CBS in 2020 and emerged as one of the few North American leagues unscathed from the COVID-19 pandemic, with enormous viewership growth after it became the first on the continent to emerge from lockdown.

The inaugural Challenge Cup in June 2020 drew 572,000 viewers on CBS in its opening game.

Roughly a year and a half later, an average of 525,000 viewers tuned into the championship match on CBS, which aired at 12 p.m. ET (1600 GMT), a far cry from the coveted prime time.

"When we were given CBS as the stage, we either competed with - matched or even outperformed - the MLS," Ohanian said.

"Facts over feelings. When we're put on that stage, the fans show up. So I think we're going to have a lot of good ammo to go into that negotiation."

The 34 Major League Soccer regular-season matches on ABC and ESPN saw an average audience of 343,000 viewers this season.

The top-viewed regular season match - on July 30 between Minnesota United and the Portland Timbers - delivered an audience of 593,000 on ABC and ESPN Deportes.

While the overwhelming majority of NWSL matches streamed on Paramount+ and Amazon-owned Twitch platform in 2022, the handful of games on CBS in the regular season and for the Challenge Cup delivered audiences ranging from 349,000 to 461,000.

While broadcast numbers are public, the league said cable and streaming figures are confidential.

The NWSL championship match between Portland Thorns and Kansas City is on Saturday.

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