The Women’s Sports Network

A network was launched focused on women’s sports. The Women’s Sports Network first appeared in 2022. WSW is streaming based which is ad supported. The network is available through Tubi, Fubo TV, Amazon FreeVee, and smart TVs. Women’s sports get lower TV and media coverage, which was part of the reason for its creation. Some ponder why there was not an attempt to get a TV channel. Finding investors and getting studios for production would have been difficult. Streaming is the wave of the future and the way people consume entertainment changes. The network is free due to advertising and maybe with time a service with paid subscribers can be included. For now the goal is to get media exposure. The partnerships WSW has made are promising. The partners include the Women’s Football Alliance, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the Ladies Professional Gold Association, and World Surf League. U.S. Ski and Snowboard and Sports Innovation Lab are also partners. It would be no surprise that golf, surfing, football, basketball, skiing, and snowboarding will be seen on the network. Advocates want this to be successful. Many approaches are available to make this possible.

A streaming service was probably the best approach. Cable and network channels are not reporting on women’s sporting events. Streaming can circumvent the legacy media. A entire generation grown up with a information technology based society. TV may be gradually going morphing into a radio like status. Radio remains, but television overtook it. Streaming is on demand and 24 hours. Older people most likely are not going to embrace streaming. This demographic tends to be technology averse. The youth are more open to social media and other technology. The Women’s Sports Network did a great job making there social media presence known. WSN is on Facebook, X.com, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. There followers on X.com are 1,141. The WSN Instagram has 11,083 followers. These numbers are not awful, but an aggressive push to boot them is needed.

The more exposure, engagement, and publicity helps Women’s Sports Network. A knowledgeable social media manager can make this happen. Public relations is also essential to the success of WSN. While it is a streaming service, efforts should be made to have it advertised on TV. WSN does have a Youtube page, which might defeat the purpose. The intent is to get as many people to know about WSN as possible. The biggest challenge is the digital divide. Every household might not have a computer or internet access. The enemy of streaming services is the fact every single household does not have internet access. Considering the metrics WSN is doing well so far.

Demographics must be a factor considered. Based on viewing data more men do watch sports. The Women’s Sports Network has to target women as a viewer demographic. The WSN wants to get women more visibility in professional sports. That means women fans must support it. Women fans must go to games, purchase merchandise, and watch the athletes on WSN. Part of the reason women’s sports struggle is that fan support could be lacking. Then the concern about large media corporations gatekeeping entertainment is persistent. ESPN is owned by the Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications. These media corporations basically decide why type of entertainment the public consumes. They have more advantages competing for a viewer audience. The rise of the media giants are closer to monopolies of the early 20th century. Streaming can challenge this. The legacy media is not concerned about women’s sports. Nor do they want to provide entertainment to fans of women’s sports. Building an audience will take time. Having a niche audience as a starting point can accelerate the process. Trying to win over those who do not like women’s sports would be a waste. Women, longtime fans, and niche followers are the groups WSN should attract. When a solid fanbase emerges, then WSN should expand more.

The Women’s Sports Network must be competitive. It has to be formidable enough to challenge the legacy media like ESPN and other sports streaming services. A number of streaming services have emerged. It is not just due to the media giants trying to stay relevant. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a boom in steaming. Lockdowns left the population stuck at home. This meant more people had time for indoor activities. When the public health crisis subsided customers began cancelling their memberships. despite this, streaming is not a passing trend. This is a new era in which entertainment is consumed. Content can be accessed at any time. WSN emerged at a perfect time.

What must be avoided is WSN becoming a relic or failed media project. CNN+ was a failed attempt at a 24 cable news channel trying to compete with streaming. The major reason for such a failure was the quality in content. Why pay extra for material that can be viewed on the TV channel. WSN at the moment does not have another women’s sport devoted network to compete with. The website does feature original presentations such as documentaries and films. More can be added, but quality should be prioritized. The reason someone continues to watch a streaming service is for good TV shows and films. A variety of content is imperative. Showing different sports like women’s tackle football might generate interest. WSN has been doing this showing women’s football on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm. Showing women’s basketball or softball is going to be a staple of the programming. Others sports should be given focus. Creating a large library of content will make WSN competitive.

The Women’s Sports Network is an innovative experiment. Decades ago, few would have thought that a network devoted to women’s sports was possible. Critics and detractors tend to insist no one watches women’s sports. The assertion is not only biased, but ignores the fact for a long period of time sports reporting did not bother covering women. Saying that the public dislikes something rarely seem is not a logical argument. Certain media gatekeepers want to keep sports a male focused domain. Instead of begging to be a part of the legacy media corporations, WSN circumvented them. Now the sportswoman can be the focus, rather than a news brief. The Women’s Sport Network could be a model for others seeking to develop an alternative to the media giants. WSN did every woman competing in sports a service. Some of the athletes would not get exposure at all. One problem persists. Showing sports like soccer or cricket might not be possible. Getting the license to broadcast those games would be difficult. Soccer and cricket are the most popular sports in the world. The Women’s World Cup would be perfect for WSN. FIFA would never allow this. The IOC maintains broadcasting rights to the Olympics. NBC Universal has the rights to broadcast the Olympics in the US . Women from various nations compete in the Olympics. WSN could benefit from showing sportswomen from around the world. WSN does not have the rights to show women competing in the Olympics. Acquiring the rights would be too difficult. WSN might not even need to do so. The network still is new and evolving. If proper business and content decisions are made, then the Women’s Sport Network will be a success.