Women’s sports have undergone a revolution of sorts in recent years. The rise and prominence of genuine female sports stars on the level of their male counterparts have put women’s sports on the map in a more mainstream fashion. Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Danica Patrick, Lindsey Vonn and more have been leading the way.
One of the vehicles for that has been the larger array of broadcast initiatives available…helping get more eyeballs on womens sports when the “big guys” like FOX or ESPN may not cover it. We’ve covered sports like the Australian Ice Hockey League using online streaming to increase their following and now women’s sport is following suit.
The Fanrag Sports Network has a great article on the NWHL and its pursuit of a larger piece of the sports broadcasting pie by using the changing landscape of sports broadcasting to gain a better foothold.
The NWHL recently announced a partnership with Twitter to stream one regular season game a week. This deal is the most recent in a series of streaming team-ups, with the former being on Cheddar, a Sling.TV network. Last season, the CWHL and Sportsnet combined to broadcast women’s hockey action throughout Canada. These games were occasionally aired after NHL games, giving the women a great lead-in to their games.
The coverage of women’s sports is being revolutionized right before our eyes, and these women’s leagues are on the cutting edge of technology. While the men dominate network TV coverage, women have been forced to find alternate ways to put eyes on their sport, and it couldn’t have come at a more advantageous time.
The way people consume sports is changing daily. Streaming games and highlights comprise a growing percentage of viewership, and the recent downsizing at ESPN and Fox Sports is indicative of the changing commodification of sports.
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