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November 18, 2022
Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based, Fast Studios officially launched the Women’s Sports Network – the “single point of access for the very best of women’s sports.” As a first-of-its-kind hub, the network will showcase women’s sports content while creating more equitable commercial opportunities for athletes, their leagues and the sports industry.
Announced early this year, the network is an ad-supported streaming service available across multiple streaming platforms including Amazon Freevee, FuboTV, LG Channels on LG Smart TVs, Local Now, Plex, Sports.tv, Tubi and Xumo. It is the first network to focus on female athletes and is designed to make women’s sports more easily accessible. Because, while women’s sports viewership continues to rise, only 5% is covered by the media according to a recent study by the University of Southern California and Purdue University.
Additionally, a study by the National Research Group and Ampere Analysis showed that US broadcast networks spent only 0.2% of media-rights budgets on women’s-only sporting events (excluding events with both men’s and women’s sports such as the Olympics). 74% of fans could not name a single corporate sponsor of any major women’s league. However, appetite for an increase in coverage is rife with the study also showing that 39% of the Gen Z population are watching more women’s sports than they were a year ago, along with 29% of millennials.
The Women’s Sports Network has partnerships with the WNBA, Women’s Football Alliance, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), US Ski and Snowboard, Sports Innovation Lab and World Surf League among others.
“There’s a pent-up demand for women’s sports, but women’s sports typically go under-invested, under-supported, under-viewed, because the ecosystem underneath it hasn’t really been built,” said Angela Ruggiero, CEO and co-founder of Sports Innovation Lab. The four-time US ice hockey Olympian is on the board of advisors for the new network. “It’s a significant step towards narrowing the gap in media coverage for female athletes, for female sports.”
The channel will offer access to 1000 plus hours of content including original storytelling from athletes across its league partners. Its flagship show, GAME ON, provides the latest women’s sports news, hot topics and sports pop culture content. It is hosted by former Harlem Globetrotter and social influencer Crissa Jackson, sports reporter Taylor Felix, sports influencer and former college basketball player Jenna Bandy, and sports reporter and producer Jess Lucero. Going forward, the network plans to carry live games (starting in January), tournaments and events.
“The Women’s Sports Network is exactly what athletes, fans and sponsors have been asking for,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Commissioner of the LPGA. “It’s so exciting to see this dawning era in women’s sports, and I was honored to be one of the early guests on GAME ON, speaking with such powerful and impactful women in this industry.
Source: CNBC
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