Over 8m people watched live WSL on TV in 2022 but not Premier League – new study

Rachel Steinberg, PA
·2 min read

The Women’s Super League is building its own unique audience, with over 8million people tuning into the women’s top flight but not the Premier League in 2022, new research from the Women’s Sport Trust has claimed.

The study celebrated another banner year for UK domestic women’s sport, with 37.6m watching it in 2022, beating the previous record of 32.9m in 2021.

A total 8.4m viewers watched live WSL football last calendar year but did not see any live Premier League football, according to the visibility report, while 6.8m watched both.

The unique WSL audience also saw a 3.3m year-on-year increase from 2021, when 5.1m people watched the WSL but did not watch the men’s top flight.

The WSL was the main driver for record-breaking audience numbers
The WSL was the main driver for record-breaking audience numbers (John Walton/PA)

The Trust’s latest report appeared to point to a promising trend of women’s sport drawing in separate audiences from men’s competitions, after 1.8m people watched the women’s Euros but did not take in the men’s World Cup.

In addition, 53 per cent of those who watched the Euros and were new to women’s sport went on to watch more after England lifted the trophy.

It was not just football that attracted women’s sport-specific viewership, according to the study. In cricket, 1.5m exclusively watched the women’s Hundred while 4.8m consumed both the men’s and women’s competitions.

In rugby league, 1.3m watched the women’s World Cup matches without also tuning into the men’s games.

Overall, the Women’s Sport Trust research – with broadcast insight from Futures Sport & Entertainment – uncovered the average viewer in the UK watched eight hours and 44 minutes of women’s sport in 2022, a whopping 131 per cent increase on the previous year’s figure of three hours and 47 minutes.

Tammy Parlour, the Women’s Sport Trust co-founder and chief executive, said: “While previously the focus has been on ensuring that women’s sport is visible in broadcast, which remains really important, to ensure the commercial sustainability of women’s sport we need to maintain and grow the time that fans are spending consuming women’s sport content.

“A big focus for the industry in 2023 should be how to continue to build visibility across all platforms, not just TV, as this will help build connection and habit with women’s sport, which in time can then be commercialised.”

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • UPDATE 1-Lululemon to shutter Washington distribution center, lay off 128 employees

    Lululemon Athletica will close its distribution center in the state of Washington at the end of the year and lay off more than 100 employees, the apparel retailer told Reuters on Friday. The Vancouver-based firm will shutter the Sumner distribution center as part of its business optimization effort and cut 128 jobs beginning June 21, according to a WARN notice filed with the state's Employment Security Department. The move comes at a time when Lululemon is seeing slowing demand for its premium athleisure in North America, where excessive inventory levels at sporting retailers has resulted in lower orders for sportswear and apparel firms.

  • Here’s how Phish is using the Sphere's technology to give fans something completely different

    Phish opened its four-night stay at the Sphere Thursday with a four-hour show that used the advanced technology in the $2.3 billion arena to deliver a show that even the band's most ardent fans have never experienced before. “We came in really wanting to do a show that was a great Phish show,” said co-creative director Abigail Rosen Holmes. While Phish shows usually get their visual punch from lighting guru Chris Kuroda’s massive lighting rig, these shows are completely different as the band uses custom visuals on the 160,000-square foot 16K-by-16K LED screen.

  • Tesla, Boeing, Big Tech earnings, PCE data: What to watch

    As the week draws to a close at Yahoo Finance, anchors Julie Hyman and Madison Mills preview the key events to watch in the upcoming week. Earnings results will be in focus. Tuesday sees a number of big names reporting, such as Tesla (TSLA), PepsiCo (PEP), and General Electric (GE). On Wednesday, Boeing (BA) will unveil its first quarter earnings, an eagerly anticipated report as the company continues to navigate significant headwinds and operational challenges. There are also earnings from Big Tech companies Meta (META), Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT). Friday energy giants Chevron (CVX) and ExxonMobil (XOM) are scheduled to release their earnings reports, providing insights into the health and dynamics of the oil market. Last, the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, will be released on Friday. It's a crucial metric for the central bank's future monetary policy decisions. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination Overtime. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • TSS Rovers FC replace Victoria Highlanders in Canadian Championship field

    TSS Rovers FC are replacing the inactive Victoria Highlanders in this year's Canadian Championship and will face Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League in the preliminary round. The Highlanders secured the Canadian championship berth by winning League1 B.C. in July. But the club announced earlier this month that it will not operate a men's or women's team this season. "Despite our best efforts over the past two months we have been unable to reach an agreement with the new owners of League1 B.

  • P.E.I. teachers' union concerned about lack of subs for French classes

    The union representing Prince Edward Island public school teachers says the current lack of substitutes, particularly those who can teach in French, is causing challenges in classrooms. The P.E.I. Teachers' Federation (PEITF) says if not dealt with, the shortage could lead to the kind of dire situations happening in some other provinces, such as schools cancelling classes. "We're scared that because of the shortage in the rest of the country, it's going to be even more difficult to recruit in th

  • Seven times weather unexpectedly changed the course of history

    History books are full of tragic storms, but there are plenty of major global events that were silently shaped by the weather on those fateful days.

  • Cam Booser walked away from baseball in 2017 and became a carpenter. Now he's in the major leagues

    PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cam Booser thought he was done with baseball seven years ago. Turns out, baseball wasn't done with him. The left-handed pitcher walked away from the game in 2017, discouraged by a string of injuries from Tommy John surgery to a broken back sustained when he was hit by a car while riding his bike, and self-inflicted wounds like a 50-game drug suspension. He returned home to Seattle and poured himself into carpentry, working on acoustical ceilings. He was good at it, just not as

  • US House set to vote on foreign aid package: What's in it?

    The US House of Representatives is set to vote on a foreign aid package over the weekend which will give billions of dollars in support to several regions including Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, a bill forcing ByteDance's divestment from TIkTok has found its way into the package. While there is sure to be pushback from either side of the aisle, is there enough bipartisan goodwill to see the package passed? Stifel Chief Washington Policy Strategist Brian Gardner joins Market Domination Overtime to give insight into the House Foreign Aid package and the chances of it passing. On the chances of it passing, Garner claims the bill "will go to the Senate and I suspect it will ultimately pass. The TikTok issue was something that was kind of interesting because there was some apprehension about the TikTok legislation by some Senate Democrats, among others, that's apparently been addressed. So you're going to have a series of individual votes on these different bills that are going to be cobbled together, merged together, sent to the Senate, and I think it passes. " For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination Overtime. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Shelter celebrates Taylor Swift album release with kitten listening party

    The Atlanta Humane Society celebrated Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, with a kitten listening party (AP Video: Sharon Johnson)

  • TC Energy reduces pressure on pipeline segment as rupture investigation continues

    CALGARY — TC Energy Corp. says it has reduced the pressure on a segment of its NGTL pipeline system in Alberta while an investigation continues into the cause of a rupture that occurred earlier this week. The Calgary-based pipeline company says it made the decision to reduce pressure on the segment out of an "abundance of caution," and in consultation with the Canada Energy Regulator. The rupture that occurred on a section of the NGTL natural gas pipeline system on Tuesday sparked a wildfire nor

  • Gogglebox's Jenny confused by "dark" dramas

    Friday's (April 19) episode of Gogglebox saw Jenny get confused by "dark" dramas in a hilarious clip.

  • Police pursuit ends in fatal crash at intersection in Stuart

    A police pursuit Thursday night ended in a "traffic fatality," Stuart police said, killing a 76-year-old man.

  • 5 key issues that must be addressed on Tesla's upcoming analyst call for the stock to avoid even 'darker days,' Wedbush says

    Tesla's call on Tuesday must address issues from China to AI in order to appease restless investors, analyst Dan Ives said.

  • Hockey fans score a win with Canadian playoff weather this weekend

    Fans will flock to see four Canadian teams duke it out this weekend as the NHL playoffs begin

  • Kings hoping goaltender Cam Talbot can return to early form as Stanley Cup playoffs begin

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — It would be an understatement to say that Cam Talbot's season has been a roller coaster. The Los Angeles Kings, though, are hoping their veteran netminder's game is ascending heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs. “My game is at a place where I like it, but there’s always room for improvement,” Talbot said. “Any time we get a practice day, which is often anymore, I try to take advantage of it.” Talbot signed a one-year contract with the Kings during the offseason, his f

  • Hamilton man due in court after being accused of strangling dog, threatening 2 women

    Hamilton man due in court after being accused of strangling dog, threatening 2 women

  • Smelly fridge? This deodorizer can keep it fresh for 10 years — and it's on sale for just $22

    'I've tried many, many baking soda boxes over the years … and this little gem is it!' says one fan.

  • 'It's pretty rewarding at the end of the day:' 'National Telecommunicators Week' recognizes 911 dispatchers

    'It's pretty rewarding at the end of the day:' 'National Telecommunicators Week' recognizes 911 dispatchers

  • More wetlands are coming to Baltimore

    Although wetlands may be... mucky.... they're invaluable when it comes to reducing flooding, filtering water, and giving animals a place to live. Pretty soon, you'll be seeing more wetlands around Baltimore. The Middle Branch Resiliency Initiative broke ground Friday on its first wetland restoration project.

  • Largest NKY public housing community has no tenants, property to be sold

    The last remaining residents of the City Heights complex have moved out, leaving the 366-unit public housing community empty.