Double edged sword. Great for growth of the game financially but loved being able to access so many games for free on YouTube – which probably also helped attract a wider audience than when it was on the FA Player.
WSL 2024/25 | MD7 - 8/10 November
- Thread starter top1whoisman
- Start date
Is it a good deal? The WPLL was believed to want between £15-20m last year, but settled on a years extension and they have now done a deal for £13m with Sky. That includes three times more matches, including the WSL Championship and League Cup.
It won't really increase the number of viewers as pointed out, more likely to limit it and plus it will probably follow the EFL format currently on Sky.
It won't really increase the number of viewers as pointed out, more likely to limit it and plus it will probably follow the EFL format currently on Sky.
I've not seen any official numbers but the Guardian reckons it's worth about £65m across the 5 years. That's up from about £7m/year.
It's thought the 65m is what WSL get directly from Sky and the deal actually costs Sky about 100m because they'll be doing all the outside broadcast work themselves. Including the matches that are going to be on YouTube.
We don't know the full details yet like whether any matches end up free to view on YouTube in the Uk. We know the BBC have basically the same deal as that do at present.
So it's not a bad deal for WSL given that they need some guaranteed income streams.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...tic-five-year-tv-deal-with-sky-sports-and-bbc
If it’s between growing the game financially vs getting to watch the games for free, I’m happy to pay for the product. Not sure why football played by women should be free to watch when it’s not when men play.
The current deal is worth £8m, so it is an increase of £5m a season. But Sky covering costs of Broadcasting is good and I guess you are right on guaranteed revenue, it just seems everything the WPLL aimed for is falling well short.
Sky could show some games on Youtube, they have done it with German football at times I believe and the WSL has been a part of the Basic Sky package as it isn't shown on Sky Sports exclusively so I'd imagine that will continue.
I think the most disappointing thing at the moment in the UK is the lack of WCL coverage from free to view broadcasters. The quality of some of those matches is excellent and they deserve to be seen.
The annoyance is that DAZN who have a rather feeble app and next to no marketing presence own the rights. They've made it free to view but they're more or less invisible so it doesn't do much of a job for women's club football marketing.
I'd love to see big broadcaster start doing a game each match week. Of course, that would be even better if United were playing in it
I think the most disappointing thing at the moment in the UK is the lack of WCL coverage from free to view broadcasters. The quality of some of those matches is excellent and they deserve to be seen.
The annoyance is that DAZN who have a rather feeble app and next to no marketing presence own the rights. They've made it free to view but they're more or less invisible.
I'd love to see big broadcaster start doing a game each match week. Of course, that would be even better if United were playing in it
I don't mind paying for the product but as you said the product around the game must be good enough. Personally I don't care about studios etc., but I understand that in the bigger picture those type of things improve the quality of the product in the eyes of a lot of fans.
From my point of view the problem is that viaplay have the rights but only show two games a week, only on Sundays (even when the PL don't have the Saturday lunchtime kick-off). I'd be happy to pay (more) for a product that would guarantee I see all the United games.
I think the most disappointing thing at the moment in the UK is the lack of WCL coverage from free to view broadcasters. The quality of some of those matches is excellent and they deserve to be seen.
The annoyance is that DAZN who have a rather feeble app and next to no marketing presence own the rights. They've made it free to view but they're more or less invisible so it doesn't do much of a job for women's club football marketing.
I'd love to see big broadcaster start doing a game each match week. Of course, that would be even better if United were playing in it
Yes I agree. With the place Women's Football is currently it needs as much free to air as possible to continue the momentum. It reminds me of England memorably regaining the Ashes in summer 2005 and that was actually the last ever Test summer that was on free to air so bar the 20/20 final and the odd Test seen nothing in the 20 years since.
Would've thought two matches a week on BBC might have been possible? Also maybe move the highlights show to a more family friendly timeslot. I get the logic in putting it after MOTD2 on a Sunday night but it's finishing well beyond midnight so surely some weeks put it on at 9pm?
9pm isn't really family friendly anyway - kids can watch replay whenever the next day or on WSL YouTube
Agreed on the cricket as well. Rugby League is the other sport I keep tabs on. It needs the money it can get from Sky, but it also needs the exposure/marketing that it can get from being with a major free to air broadcaster.
Women's football has only recently made the jump into being a saleable product and hasn't yet worked out how to make the best of it. The match schedule is a mess - which doesn't help a program like MOTD.
Personally I'd like to see a complete jump to claim a space of their own. The Saturday 3pm is the obvious space to chase - if they can get the rule changed. For a WSL MOTD maybe Sunday 7pm on BBC4 or even a Monday 7pm show if a Sunday show is too logistically tough.
The lack of WCL on a proper broadcaster is a real frustration of mine. Selling the European rights to DAZN effectively made them invisible. UEFA have said they're going to invest £830m over the next 6 years in developing the women's game - though wev don't know what that means. I'm just hoping it means investing in getting more girls to play so the game can keep developing and part of that is making sure it's visible.
This weekend's matches:
The league so far:
The league so far:
Utterly ruthless tonight.
Last year's winners and runners-up are doing exactly what you expect them to do - winning.
Chelsea's 5 goals came from 5 different players . Ramirez didn't need to come on from the bench and Lauren James is out injured (so is Sam Kerr but I don't think we'll see her before Christmas) They've got a new manager and had a change in style but there's been no drop off in performances and their squad depth is frightening.
Everton are bottom of the table on GD. But West Ham and Aston Villa are down there with them on 2 points after 6 games. From what I've seen of them so far, Everton have a tough season ahead.
United v Arsenal could have been a good match but wasn't. United did well to get a point out of it.
Chelsea's 5 goals came from 5 different players . Ramirez didn't need to come on from the bench and Lauren James is out injured (so is Sam Kerr but I don't think we'll see her before Christmas) They've got a new manager and had a change in style but there's been no drop off in performances and their squad depth is frightening.
Everton are bottom of the table on GD. But West Ham and Aston Villa are down there with them on 2 points after 6 games. From what I've seen of them so far, Everton have a tough season ahead.
United v Arsenal could have been a good match but wasn't. United did well to get a point out of it.
MD7 | 8/10 Nov
New
All matches are on Friday or Sunday. Arsenal and City have WCL matches on Tuesday night. Chelsea have theirs on Thursday night.
United failed to take advantage of Arsenal's recent poor form but sit in fourth place with a game in hand (against Chelsea
).
City P6 14pts
Chelsea P5 15pts
Brighton P6 13pts
United P5 11pts
Villa, West Ham and Everton have all had awful starts to the season and are stuck on 2 points after 6 games.
United failed to take advantage of Arsenal's recent poor form but sit in fourth place with a game in hand (against Chelsea
).City P6 14pts
Chelsea P5 15pts
Brighton P6 13pts
United P5 11pts
Villa, West Ham and Everton have all had awful starts to the season and are stuck on 2 points after 6 games.
Still major issues around scheduling of Women's matches and conflicts with Men's - I've not watched much WSL this season as a result
Arsenal Women having sold thousands of tickets for a CL tie at the Emirates and now getting kicked out due to the Carabao Cup!
Arsenal Women having sold thousands of tickets for a CL tie at the Emirates and now getting kicked out due to the Carabao Cup!
It's a tough one but more or less inevitable. The gap between the Emirates and their old women's stadium (less than 5k capacity) is huge. Their success in turning out (paying) crowds at the big stadium encouraged Arsenal to keep thinking big.
Unfortunately what they didn't really think about was a Plan B for when there really was no flexibility in the schedule. The clubs have a lot to learn. For now flexibility will mostly have to be delivered by looking at ground sharing with other local football and rugby clubs.
Scheduling is hard, especially when pay TV and UEFA are in the mix.
If this co-Comms Welsh woman says “to be a fair” one more time during this City Spurs games I might have to turn it off.
Never shuts up either.
Never shuts up either.
Brutally efficient from City (at the Etihad) and from Arsenal (at the Emirates) tonight. Looks like Arsenal's slow start is over.
I've just watched Ramirez score for Chelsea against Liverpool and it's reminded me just how confusing football can get.
1 - I want Liverpool to lose every game.
2 - In women's football, I really don't want Chelsea to win anything, they've been winning too much.
3 - I have Ramirez as captain in my WSL FF
Conflicted.
Chelsea now 2-0 up as HT approaches so I'm now hoping they keep a clean sheet - FF manager mode kicking in
At least there's not much risk of Liverpool winning now.
1 - I want Liverpool to lose every game.
2 - In women's football, I really don't want Chelsea to win anything, they've been winning too much.
3 - I have Ramirez as captain in my WSL FF
Conflicted.
Chelsea now 2-0 up as HT approaches so I'm now hoping they keep a clean sheet - FF manager mode kicking in
At least there's not much risk of Liverpool winning now.
Our former academy player Nicky Ajose has joined the Man City coaching staff.