Women's sports coverage goes mainstream
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Photo illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios. Photos: Tim Clayton/Getty Images; Clive Brunskill/Getty Images; Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images; David Buono/Getty Images
Following a breakout year in 2024, roughly a dozen publishers have introduced new, specialized coverage plans for women's sports.
Why it matters: Once a niche topic, outlets now see women's sports as a driver of readership, revenue and growth.
Driving the news: USA Today is launching a new content vertical on women's sports called USA Today Studio IX that will feature news, multimedia content and events.
- The studio will include coverage about professional leagues like the WNBA, WTA and LPGA, along with college and high school sports and the Olympics. USA Today's network of 200 local publications will contribute to the coverage.
- The hub will feature news stories, videos and photo galleries. Team members include USA Today columnist Nancy Armour and staff writer Meghan Hall.
Zoom out: As viewership and attendance for women's sporting events has skyrocketed, so too has the marketing and commerce opportunities for brands.
- Ad spending on women's sports more than doubled last year, according to marketing analytics firm EDO.
- Ads aired during women's sports programs were 40% more impactful than the average primetime ad.
The big picture: For media companies facing an increasingly competitive economic environment, women's sports have become an opportunity to expand their businesses. Below are some of the new investments:
Television:
- Sports Illustrated announced last week it will host the SI Women's Games, a biennial event with athletes competing across six sports that will broadcast domestically in prime time with Scripps Sports and ION.
- CNBC debuted a new women's sports event on the sidelines of the Women's NCAA Championship this month sponsored by JPMorganChase. It's partnering with Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment to livestream Deep Blue's annual Business of Women's Sports Summit this year.
- Roku Channel is launching Women's Sports Now, a weekly studio show on women's sports, hosted by WNBA star Renee Montgomery and comedian Sarah Tiana.
- All Women's Sports Network was launched by Whoopi Goldberg and streaming media company JungoTV last year and is available in the U.S. on Vizio WatchFree+.
Online:
- Bleacher Report created B/R W, a social brand focused on women's sports, on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok earlier this year.
- The Athletic and Yahoo Sports teamed up to launch a hub for women's sports coverage on Yahoo Sports' website and app, last fall.
- The Information hired its first sports reporter last winter to cover the business and focus on women's sports.
- Front Office Sports also brought on its first reporter to cover women's sports exclusively.
- The Associated Press last month said it is doubling down on women's coverage, adding a new dedicated reporter to cover the N.Y. Liberty and dedicating robust coverage to the new 3-on-3 Unrivaled basketball league.
- Betches Media introduced a sports vertical, Betches Sports, to cover sports news and culture, including women's sports, for its audience.
Audio:
- iHeartMedia and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment created the Women's Sports Audio Network, the first audio platform dedicated to women's sports.
- Multiple publishers have debuted new women's sports podcasts, including The Athletic, The Ringer, Vox Media and Just Women's Sports, joining publishers like CBS Sports, The Guardian and others with existing women's focused shows.
Between the lines: In addition to mainstream coverage, there's also been a rise of new women's sports-specific media business, such as The Gist and Just Women's Sports, which launched in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
- Earlier this month, former Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc was named executive chair of Togethxr, a women's sports media and commerce startup founded by top female athletes such as Alex Morgan and Sue Bird.
What to watch: More ad agencies are investing in women's sports programs to drive ad dollars to new coverage efforts.
- Kargo, an ad tech company, is partnering with The Gist to enable new ad opportunities that will drive the publication's financial growth.
- Publicis Groupe unveiled a new media-investment unit in February called Women's Sports Connect to push advertisers to support women's sports with new ad inventory and original content.
- GroupM said it surpassed its goal to double media spend on women's sports through a new, dedicated marketplace.
