The Women’s Super League will reassess its TV kickoff times after some lower-than-expected viewing numbers. League officials will work with broadcasters to seek better slots that help fans watch and attend matches.
The Women’s Super League is reviewing its broadcast schedule after some matches drew smaller TV audiences than expected, including a game that attracted 59,000 viewers on Sky Sports.
Many fans have said match timings hurt both attendances and TV numbers. Key fixtures were moved to accommodate teams playing in the Women’s Champions League, and supporters say those changes made it harder to watch games live.
The league will discuss scheduling with Sky and the BBC at the end of the season to find better kickoff times and avoid clashes that reduce viewing and gate numbers.
This season the WSL has mainly used noon on Sundays for its main televised games. Several matches now kick off at the same time, a situation that may have lowered overall viewing figures.
Scheduling is difficult because some popular kickoff times are blocked by other competitions and by existing broadcast agreements. The league can use Friday evenings when no other live matches run, but the traditional 14:00 Sunday window is not available due to Premier League fixtures.
Saturday lunchtime games often face strong competition from live men’s Premier League coverage. One WSL match began only 30 minutes before a men’s game, which likely split the available TV audience.
There was an 11% rise in average viewing for Saturday lunchtime games this season, but that figure is based on a small number of broadcasts and does not yet show a clear trend.
