Women’s sport is at its peak, so I have had a look at how all the women’s sports broadcast deals weigh up.
Women’s soccer (Fox Sports, SBS and My Football App)
For the first time ever in W-League history, every match in the 2018/19 season is being broadcasted. Fox Sports has the full broadcast rights to 30 W-League matches with SBS simulcasting 16 matches of these on the SBS Viceland Channel including both the semi-finals and the grand final.
All other matches are streamed on the My Football App. All of the Matildas’ internationals in Australia and the majority of overseas Matildas internationals are broadcasted on Fox Sports, SBS and streamed on the My Football App.
AFL women’s (Fox Footy, Seven and AFL.com.au)
In the new AFLW broadcast deal, every AFLW match, including the grand final, is broadcasted live on Fox Footy. In 2019, two matches per round will be broadcasted live on the Seven Network with it upping to three matches per round in 2020.
Every final is broadcasted live on Channel Seven. All non-Victorian matches will be simulcasted to their respective states on the Seven Network. All matches are streamed live and free on AFL.com.au.
Women’s basketball (Fox Sports and SBS)
Fox Sports regained the WNBL in 2017 meaning that the WNBL returned to TV. One match per round, including the semi-finals and the grand final, are broadcasted on Fox Sports with SBS simulcasting 14/15 matches per season. All Australian Opals matches are broadcasted live on Fox Sports along with women’s international tournaments.
Women’s cricket (Fox Cricket, Seven and Cricket Network)
The Seven Network have the rights to broadcasting 23 WBBL matches per season, including both semi-finals and the final live. Fox Cricket simulcasts these matches. The Cricket Network streams all other matches live and free via Cricket.com.au, the Cricket Network and WBBL Facebook page.
Selected matches in the WNCL are broadcasted on The Cricket Network. All Australian Women’s Internationals in Australia are broadcasted live and free on the Seven Network with Fox Cricket simulcasting these matches. Selected overseas matches are also broadcasted on Fox Cricket.
Every match of ICC women’s events are broadcasted live on Fox Cricket with Australian matches being broadcasted live and free on the Nine Network.
Netball (Nine Network and Telstra TV)
Two games of Suncorp Super Netball are broadcasted live on Nine per round with the additional two games broadcasted on delay on Nine. Every SSN match is broadcasted live on Telstra TV. Every Diamonds international and every Netball World Cup and Fast 5 World Series match is also broadcasted on the Nine Network.
(Photo by Renee McKay/Getty Images)
Women’s rugby league (Fox League and Nine Network)
Every match of the NRL Women’s Competition including the Grand Final is broadcasted live on Fox League and the Nine Network. All Women’s State of Origin matches, NRL Women’s All Star matches and all Jillaroos matches are also broadcasted on Fox League and the Nine Network.
Women’s rugby union (Fox Sports)
Every match of the Super W Competition is broadcasted live on Fox Sports with selected Australian women’s internationals also broadcasted on Fox Sports.
What could be improved?
The majority of coverage has been improved for women’s sport, but women’s cricket does deserve additional coverage. WNCL matches should be broadcasted on national television and with the WBBL moving to a standalone slot next summer, I would like to see all games broadcasted on Fox Cricket with the 23 games currently remaining on Channel Seven.
Super W should also be broadcasted on free-to-air television in an attempt to boost women’s rugby union.
Pedro
Guest
Great to see the women's big bash final was sold out
Tom English
Roar Guru
Not every Super W game is (at least last year) broadcast live on Fox, some were delayed and broadcast on rugby.com.au, but otherwise a good article.
Queenslander
Roar Guru
I know a lot of people who do. Women's Cricket is of a high standard compared to the other female sports. I ask a question to you. Have you ever watched a game of Women's Cricket? The answer is most likely not. Do not judge a book by its cover so why judge women's cricket just because it involved women?
chris
Guest
Thats good to hear. The govt should be spending most money on the most popular sport (sokkah) and less on the made up numbers sports.
chris
Guest
Why don't you tell us Nick?
AusSokkah
Guest
Foxtel received government funding to increase it's coverage of women's football.
Nemesis
Guest
The likely reason they dropped Foreign Films is because they know how many people subscribe purely for Foreign Films & they'd do the sums and they worked out the revenue lost from not having Foreign Films is less than the cost of buying the content for Foreign Films. Unless, you think they decided to drop Foreign Films to make less profit?
alexp
Guest
lol .... so now you label those who 'haggle' for a good deal with the perjorative 'certain types' .... righto ..... do you similarly look down with dismissive condescension on associates/clients when offering advice/counsel that best advances their buisness interests???
Albo
Roar Rookie
You obviously missed the intended irony of my comment. I want my foreign films back ! That's why I got the Platinum package ! Not a bunch of sporting events that have little to no interest for me. What's the agenda in dropping foreign films ? Surely its sinister ? Typical Murdoch ? As for your "extreme" Murdoch rant, the last sentence of my initial comment still applies.
Nemesis
Guest
I just went to the Foxtel website to sign up. 12 month Sports Package = $696.03. + High Definition = $120 extra Total cost to watch Sport = $816.03 I'm not going to haggle for a better price. I know certain types of people like to haggle with everything they buy, but I don't.
alexp
Guest
im on a fox sports package and pay just under $470 per year (with a renewal in the past few days for the exact same amount) you carry on like a pork chop about your shrewd business credentials - if $800 is the best deal you can broker then i might start taking this claim of yours with a grain of salt
IAP
Guest
It seems to me that the authors basis of a sport being on TV is because they're women. No-one watches women's cricket, so why would the TV companies put more of it on?
Nemesis
Guest
Foxtel is a PayTV operator. Its content will reflect the potential to drive more subscribers. Each Foxtel sports subscription is worth around $800/year. For PayTV operators, the viewing numbers are irrelevant. They don't care if you don't watch. Same as you Fitness Centre doesn't care if you buy an annual membership & only go once in January, or 364 times a year. And, finally, if you think Foxtel - a company majority owned by extreme right wing Rupert Murdoch is promoting a PC agenda, you're utterly delusional.
Nicholas Belardo
Roar Guru
Probably because there is usually more top women’s players recently from the US than mens
Albo
Roar Rookie
Spot on ! I still can't get over Foxtel dropping its World Movies channel, whilst adding WBBL, AFLW & W-League coverages ? Is this some form of discrimination , surely worthy of a new virtue uproar ? Or is it just a search for increased ratings ?
Bangers N Mash
Guest
The coverage of women’s soccer has risen substantially in recent time , due to their coach being inexplicably gaffed .
peeeko
Roar Guru
there have been US opens where the womens final has been watched more than the mens
peeeko
Roar Guru
"but women’s cricket does deserve additional coverage" why? surely its up to the broadcaster to decide what they cover. its a market and they decide what they think viewers want
Craig
Guest
Exactly. The equality that is being begged for will never happen simply because less people will want to watch women’s sports. Look at tennis - arguably the most progressive of all sports and the women’s game is propped up by the men’s. A ticket for the women’s final at the Australian open will set you back between $158 - $604 with an average price of around $300. Compare to the men’s final - the cheapest ticket is $315 and goes up to $895, average price around $600. So the men’s game generates more than double - hell if the grand slam tournaments were separated the gap would be far more significant. I actually don’t mind women’s tennis, I’ll watch it.But let’s stop pretending that there is even close to the same level of interest or that there ever will be. If administrators want to pretend there is and make changes such as equal prize money, it’s really not good business sense - but morally perhaps it is.
Nick Symonds
Guest
What are TV the ratings for these leagues? What are the ratings for the W-League?