Record audience tunes in for Women’s Super League season opener

Liverpool’s shock 2-1 season-opening victory over champions Chelsea attracted a record TV audience for a FA Women’s Super League match for Sky Sports.

Sky, which is in the second year of its landmark rights deal for the league, said that a peak of 420,000 viewers watched the newly promoted Liverpool overcome a one goal deficit to clutch victory in the final minutes of their first match back in the WSL. Sky said that the viewership represented a 56% increase on last season’s WSL opener. 

Sky will broadcast 35 WSL matches on its flagship Sky Showcase channel across the season, while also broadcasting a weekly roundup show. The broadcaster is also utilising social video platforms with 360-degree coverage of the league on the Sky Sports WSL TikTok account and with a new Snapchat discover show titled The Dub.

Sky Sports managing director Jonathan Licht said: “Great to see such an exciting start to the WSL season and we were delighted that a record number of fans tuned in to the live game on Sky Sports. We have a great opportunity to build on the success of the Lionesses this summer and will be working hard to encourage as many viewers as possible to tune in this season. 

“As the leading investor in women’s sport in the UK, we are proud to be a partner of the WSL and will continue to support the growth of the women’s game throughout this season and beyond.”

The WSL is building on a game-changing summer in which the England Women’s side won the nation’s first major football trophy since 1966. The Lionesses’ Euro 2022 final victory attracted an audience of more than 23 million across BBC One and the BBC iPlayer, while 280 million viewers across Europe watched the tournament.