The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and A+E Networks today announced an amicable end to their partnership, to take effect immediately, with one year remaining in their three-year broadcast agreement.
The two entities announced their partnership in early 2017, with A+E Networks acquiring an equity stake in the league, joining existing team ownership groups. The joint venture between NWSL and A+E Networks included the launch of NWSL Media to lead media and sponsorship initiatives, and Lifetime became an official sponsor and broadcast partner of the league. Lifetime will continue to support the league through a sleeve sponsorship agreement.
Said David Granville-Smith, COO and CFO, A+E Networks: “A+E Networks and Lifetime were proud to support the amazing athletes of the NWSL and to have produced a first-class Game of the Week production that highlighted their amazing talents. We are excited to continue to support the league with the sleeve sponsorship in 2019 and look forward to seeing the NWSL grow in the years to come.”
“Our two seasons with A+E were rewarding for our league, players, sponsors and fans, just as we had anticipated, and the experiences on the path we traveled with a national television partner have served NWSL well today and will for the future,” said NWSL President Amanda Duffy. “The continued support from Lifetime through the sleeve sponsorship speaks to the authenticity and strength of the partnership we forged during these past two seasons. NWSL is a pioneering league, still in its infancy, as it builds and evolves to become the premier women’s league in the world’s most popular sport.”
NWSL Media will continue operating as the commercial arm of the league, overseeing all of its global broadcast and sponsorship rights, and managing all digital assets for the NWSL, including the league’s social media platforms.
For 2019, all of the NWSL’s regular season matches will be streamed on Yahoo!Sports while international fans will be able to watch games on the NWSL app and NWSLsoccer.com.
The 2019 NWSL season schedule will be released on Thursday, February 21.
Playing its first season in 2013, the NWSL is a 9-team Division-I women’s professional soccer league set to kick off its historic seventh season this year with support from the Canadian Soccer Association and United States Soccer Federation.
