Google-owned video sharing platform YouTube has been named as the new streaming service for the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship.
The Women’s Professional Game have confirmed the fixtures for the 2024/25 season for the top two tiers. Sky Sports and the BBC are the current rights holders for the WSL and will broadcast 66 of the 132 fixtures between them.
Sky and Now TV will show 44 games throughout the WSL campaign, an increase on the 35 matches in the previous TV deal. The BBC will air 22 live games and at least 18 of those will be on BBC One or BBC Two, while all of them will be available on iPlayer.
In previous seasons, the non-broadcast WSL fixtures and select Championship matches were shown on the FA’s streaming platform, the FA Player. However, from the start of the new campaign, this will transition to YouTube with games set to be streamed globally on each division’s respective channels – Barclays WSL and Barclays WC.
The channels will also house regular non-match content, including highlights, interviews and entertaining shoulder content. The FA Player will continue to host Adobe Women’s FA Cup fixtures and content.
Nikki Doucet – CEO of the WSL and Championship – said: “It is a landmark moment for us with our transition to YouTube as our streaming service. The FA Player has been a hugely important part of the growth of women’s football in recent years, and the free-to-air reach it has afforded our teams has been crucial in our development.
“Coupled with the high-quality coverage provided by our broadcast partners Sky Sports and the BBC, watching the women’s professional game here in the UK has never been easier. As we continue our journey into the NewCo, YouTube will offer even more supporters, both current and future, the opportunity to enjoy our amazing leagues at a click of a button.”
The Women’s Championship begins on the weekend of 7/8 September and Newcastle United’s visit to the London City Lionesses will be shown on YouTube. Matchday 2 on 14/15 September will see Bristol City host Birmingham City, with the match also selected for broadcast on YouTube.
The WSL will then begin on the weekend of 21/22 September, with Aston Villa’s visit to Chelsea selected for broadcast on the BBC, although the exact date and time of that fixture is still to be determined. On 22 September, Arsenal host Manchester City in their opening game which will…
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