Cable sports: A+E bets big on women’s soccer
February 2, 2017
In summer of 2015, women’s soccer had a standout moment.
The U.S. team’s successful reclamation of the Women’s World Cup trophy, four years after finishing as runner-up and 16 years since its last title, generated record ratings on television and prompted some to wonder if soccer could become the first breakout women’s team sport, despite previous fits and starts for the game.
We’re still a ways away from that day, but at least one cable network owner appears to believe there’s promise in the women’s game.
A+E Networks Thursday said it has acquired a 25 percent stake in the National Women’s Soccer League, which heads into its fifth season this spring.
A stake in the league
As part of a three-year deal, A+E’s Lifetime will carry a game of the week every Saturday. Players will wear patches with the channel’s logo on their jerseys.
The league is negotiating possible streaming of games not featured on Lifetime through NWSL Media, the new group overseeing broadcast and sponsorship rights for the league.
History of women’s soccer
NWSL is the latest but not the first women’s league to launch in the U.S. since 1999, when the United States hosted and won the World Cup, sparking a brief surge of interest for women’s soccer.
In 2001, the Women’s United Soccer Association launched, but it lasted only three seasons despite fielding the world’s top talent.
After that league folded, so did another that launched in 2007, Women’s Professional Soccer.
The hope is with better media partners and advertising, the NWSL will stay afloat.
Tags: A&E networks, lifetime, lifetime soccer, national women's soccer league, nwsl, women's soccer
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