Major international women's sporting events have been instrumental in driving record-breaking audience figures in the UK.
However, domestic women's sports competitions have experienced a decline in viewership, according to the Women's Sport Trust (WST). This article delves into the specifics of these trends, highlighting the key drivers behind the surge in international events viewership and the challenges faced by domestic competitions.
Women's Sport Trust Chief Executive and Co-Founder, Tammy Parlour, said:
“It’s pleasing to see the growth trajectory in audience figures across a breadth of women’s sport. Each sport is working hard to build and understand its audience and this work is paying off on an international level."
“We have entered a new phase of visibility, the industry is moving past looking at top line figures and is starting to delve deeper. This will lead to more understanding of what is going to work on a domestic level to drive further viewership.”
International women's sport garnering record-breaking attention
From 1st January to 22nd October 2023, viewers spent an average of nine hours and 58 minutes watching women's sports. The 2023 Solheim Cup, a premier women's golf event, attracted record audiences with 9.5 million hours viewed, surpassing the previous best of 6.3 million hours in 2021.
The Solheim Cup also boasted the highest live average audience for a women's-only sports property on pay-TV this year.
England's women's cricket team also made significant strides, achieving the highest audiences on record for an English summer. Approximately 7.4 million viewers watched for three minutes or more, compared to the previous best of 6.2 million viewers.
Despite no broadcaster showing the matches, the women's rugby Red Roses series against Canada managed to accumulate 234,000 online views across Facebook and YouTube.
Domestic women's sport viewership stagnating or dropping
Despite the success of international events, domestic women's sports competitions have seen a decline in viewership. The women's Hundred experienced a 15.5 per cent drop in average audiences in 2023 since its inaugural season, although viewing hours did increase by 14.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY).
The Women's Super League (WSL) also saw a dip in viewership. The opening ten matches of the WSL, broadcast across the BBC and Sky Sports, saw early season viewing hours fall by 25.8 per cent compared to the opening ten games of the previous season. Sky's average audience for the WSL declined by 20.5 per cent YoY. However, the BBC saw a slight increase, helped by the second most-watched WSL game on record between Arsenal and Aston Villa, which had an average audience of 746,000.
Decision-makers must convert one-off viewers into regular diehard fans
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Solheim Cup, and England women's international cricket were all cited as drivers for the record-breaking audience figures. However, the fall in domestic women's sport audiences for the WSL and The Hundred indicates that there is work to be done to translate the appeal of international events into consistent week-in, week-out viewing.
The challenge lies in leveraging the momentum from international events to boost domestic women's sports viewership. This will require strategic planning, effective marketing, and continuous efforts to enhance the visibility and appeal of domestic women's sports.
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