Women’s Sport UK Viewership Soars To Record Heights

A record audience of 22.6 million viewers watched three or more minutes of women’s sport in the UK between January and May, according to research led by the Women’s Sport Trust (WST).

That figure eclipses the previous high of 22 million over the same period in 2023, while free-to-air (FTA) viewership increased by 10% from 48.7 million to 53.8 million over the last year.

Football, rugby union and cricket accounted for the largest audience.

The study covered a number of UK-based women’s sports properties, including the Women’s Super League (WSL), The Hundred and the Netball Super League.

The WSL generated an average viewing time of 40 minutes per match throughout the 2023/24 season, marking an 11% increase on last year. Broadcasts on Sky Showcase averaged 43 minutes, up 26% on 2023, with BBC One delivering an average of 47 minutes, marking an 18% increase on last year.

The study also says that of the the 15.1 million viewers who tuned in to watch the WSL, 6.5 million had watched both the women’s top-flight and the men’s Premier League. The WST also revealed that five million people watched both the England Lionesses and the Premier League, while 4.5 million watched the WSL exclusively.

Champions Chelsea generated the largest broadcast audience of any WSL club, reaching 17.5 million viewers throughout the campaign. Manchester City were the second most-watched team with 15.8 million viewers, followed by Arsenal with 15.4 million.

Manchester United averaged 348,000 viewers across linear channels durigthe 2023/24 season, the most of any WSL team.

In rugby union, the Women’s Six Nations saw significant growth over the last year. A record high of 8.1 million viewers consumed three or more minutes, up 33% on 2023’s edition of the women’s international championship.

Research also discovered that 2.4 million viewers only watched the Women’s Six Nations this year, in contrast to the 1.6 million from 2023.

Rugby league also reported viewership increases for its women’s sports events, with 19% of fans watching both this year’s men’s and women’s Challenge Cup final, which is up 7% on 2021.

“Growth is never equal across all metrics, but rising audiences and deeper engagement across both linear and digital platforms are positive takeaways,” said Tammy Parlour, CEO of the Women’s Sport Trust.

“Fans have more information and choice than ever before and women’s sport has to compete with wider entertainment properties for visibility and cultural relevance.

“While the success of a country, team or player plays a huge role in keeping fans engaged, the industry needs to continue to drive interest through greater prominence, cross promotion and adapting marketing and activation strategies to appeal to the unique nature of the different fan behaviours within women’s sport.”

Subscribe to the Sport Industry Daily for regular updates on the biggest stories and latest news in the sport industry.