Sky Sports has revealed that Women’s Super League matches on the channel are getting more than 100,000 viewers per game this season. Gary Hughes, Sky’s director of football, told SportsPro Live that the average number of viewers has been ‘higher than expected.’ Man City’s match with Tottenham has been the most-watched women’s match this season, with more than 500,000 people tuning in. Speaking at the SportsPro event, Hughes said: "Our audience is up dramatically from what we anticipated and what it was on pay TV last year. Our average is around 125,000 [viewers] a game — I think that’s up around 175 percent. Our reach is around six million which I think is around a 200 percent increase."

What is Sky’s new multi-million-pound broadcast deal? 

This season, Sky Sports replaced BT Sport as the WSL’s primary broadcaster. 

According to PA news agency, the investment from Sky stands at just under £10 million per season, plus additional production, marketing and exposure commitments that take the figure to around £15 million. 

Sky has the right to show up to 44 matches per season, with a minimum of 35 being screened.

Meanwhile, the BBC also has the rights to some matches and committed to showcasing 22 live games at the start of the season. The BBC had previously shown games on the iPlayer, but at least 18 of these 22 matches were promised to be on either BBC One or Two. 

It’s also the first time the rights to the WSL have been sold separately from the men’s game, with clubs in the league receiving a proportion of the revenue. 

Why have viewing figures been so high? 

While many might have seen this broadcasting deal as a risk, these viewing figures prove that the demand for women’s football is there. 

Sky has also been clever in scheduling some matches at times that do not clash with any men’s football on the same day. 

Indeed, a number of their televised matches are shown on Sunday nights, when there are no Premier League or Championship games taking place. 

Sky also deserves credit for its coverage and marketing of the competition. The Women’s Super League is regularly discussed on Sky Sports news and there are now specific social media accounts dedicated to the league itself. 

Comparisons with other sports

To put in perspective just how impressive the viewing figures have been, women’s football is currently serving up even better numbers than Rugby League –– a sport which has long been shown live on Sky Sports.

Previous viewing figures for the [Rugby League] Super League Grand Final on Sky have been around 400,000, while the WSL game between City and Spurs attracted an audience of 550,000. 

Rugby League has a die-hard following in the UK and few would ever suggest that Sky should scrap their coverage of the sport. 

But on current evidence, it seems that women’s football has a similar set of loyal supporters. And if it continues on this trajectory, these numbers are only going to get better.