Some of the top women’s professional sports leagues and events in the country will soon be back at the negotiating table with TV networks over media rights, and it’s looking like the next few years will begin a new lucrative era according to The Wall Street Journal.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is coming up this summer, and it’s believed that the media rights for the tournament will be worth north of $300 million. This is the first time FIFA has sold the rights to the women’s tournament, as previously the TV rights to the Women’s World Cup were looped into deals for the men’s World Cup. Over 1 billion watched the final of the 2019 World Cup.
That $300 million figure would make the Women’s World Cup the most valuable women’s sporting event in the world.
The NCAA Women’s Tournament has seen a steady increase in viewership and attention in recent years leading to record viewership in 2023. If rights to that tournament were sold standalone when ESPN’s current deal with the NCAA is up in 2025, the value is expected to range from $81 million to $112 million a year.
ESPN’s current deal with the NCAA covers all Division I national championships aside from men’s basketball is $34 million annually.
The WNBA is primed to garner close to $100 million a year in its next media rights deal. Presently, the league only draws $35 million each season under its agreement with ESPN.
The media rights deal in the WNBA is up in 2025.
The NWSL is anticipating reaching an agreement on a new media rights deal this summer. The league has a contract with CBS, and that’s in its final year. The deal is valued at around $1.5 million.
But the belief is that backing from investment firm Sixth Street Partners, plans to expand in 2024 and a growing interest in women’s soccer will help make for a better deal moving forward.
