Women’s football scores £100m boost from new Sky and BBC TV deals

Sky Sports has secured an even bigger share of matches in the Women’s Super League as part of a record new long-term agreement billed as “the most significant broadcast partnership ever for women’s football”.

The deal from 2025 until 2030 will see Sky show up to 118 WSL matches, more than three times as many as under the current contracts. Of those 78 will be exclusive to Sky channels, including all matches from the decisive final weekend of the season.

The BBC’s package remains broadly the same as for recent seasons, with live coverage of 21 matches, including 14 exclusive to BBC TV and seven shared on digital platforms, but is now by far the smaller of the two broadcasters.

“The growth of the game is undeniable, and this deal is another step in the right direction and positive news for the fans, the players and the clubs,” said Nikki Doucet, CEO of Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), which runs the WSL.

“Sky and the BBC are long-time backers and their contribution to the growth of the women’s game should not go without recognition. They provide excellent visibility coupled with first-class production values and we look forward to building on our partnership over the coming years.”

Sky’s group CEO Dana Strong called the deal “an incredibly exciting and significant moment for women’s sport”.

She added: “The longer-term partnership reflects our commitment to women’s football and provides the platform for us to keep working with the WPLL to bring in more fans, grow the game and create the most entertaining and competitive women’s football league in the world.”

No financial details have been revealed but the deal is reported to be worth £65m over five years, or £13m per year, plus production costs which take the package to closer to £100m. 

The existing Women’s Super League TV deal was already world-leading for a women’s domestic league and worth around £8m per year.

It was rolled over for an extra season this year to give WPPL more time to negotiate after taking over the running of the league from the Football Association. 

It is another major win for WPLL after it last month retained Barclays as its main sponsor on a three-year deal worth a reported £45m.