ION converts new viewership as it builds on NWSL coverage

The GIST: Yesterday, Scripps Sports shared plans to expand on its NWSL coverage for the upcoming 2025 season. After reaching more than 20M unique viewers in its first season covering the league, the company’s Ion network is doubling down on its NWSL investment with revamped studio production.

• Scripps’ strategy of acquiring WNBA and NWSL rights and airing games on its entertainment-driven Ion network has converted new viewers to women’s sports, illustrating the benefit of putting content in front of a different crowd. No objections here.

The background: Ion was one of four networks involved in the league’s historic $240M broadcast deal and managed to bag the most games: 50 matches per year and 25 exclusive Saturday night doubleheaders. The network also established the first weekly studio show dedicated to the NWSL, NWSL on Ion, which is adding veteran soccer journalists Seb Salazar and Kylen Mills as hosts.

The data: In one season, Ion built strong rapport with NWSL supporters— an average of 145K fans tuned in per game. Despite simulcasts, the network reached 13.5M viewers unique to Ion, meaning many of its viewers only watched games on the platform.

• Additionally, 50% of all NWSL fans caught games on Ion, the highest percentage among all broadcast partners, and the network boasted the largest percentage of women viewers: 57% aged 25 to 54 and 55% of all ages.

The takeaway: In a previous conversation with Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor, he told The GIST that Ion believed its existing viewer base for procedural dramas (which skewed older and female) would stick around to watch sports, thus converting viewers to new women’s sports fans. Now, the numbers show that theory clearly played out in the NWSL like it did in the WNBA.

• Rather than going head-to-head against established sports networks, Scripps leveraged its existing audience and brought women’s sports to them, allowing the sports newcomer to get into the media rights game and create new fans. Play smarter, not harder.