The Women’s Sports Network, the first ever network to focus on female athletics launched on Wednesday, offering 24/7 streaming of original programming, competitions, documentaries, and a daily studio show titled, “Game On.” The Network is free, ad-supported on streaming services including Amazon.com’s Freevee, Fox Corp owned Tubi, FuboTV and smart TVs. CEO and co-founder of Sports Innovation Lab Angela Ruggiero stated, “It’s a significant step towards narrowing the gap in media coverage for female athletes, for female sports.”
Jon Patricof, CEO and co-founder of woman’s sports league network Athletes Unlimited stated, “2022 has been a significant year. We’ve looked back to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, but I think what Women’s Sports Network shows … there’s a real focus on what the next 50 years are going to look like.”
Mollie Marcoux Samaan, commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, said “The Women’s Sports Network is exactly what athletes, fans and sponsors have been asking for.” A study conducted by the National Research Group and Ampere Analysis found that 39% of Gen Zers are watching more women’s sports than they were just a year ago. Ruggiero stated that, “There’s a pent-up demand for women’s sports, but women’s sports typically go under-invested, under-supported, under-viewed, because the ecosystem underneath it hasn’t really been built, We don’t have enough female writers. We don’t have enough female broadcasters. We don’t have enough female producers. The media ecosystem is still fairly male dominated, and women aren’t getting the ratings.
The new network’s studio show, “Game On,” is hosted by former Harlem Globetrotter and social media influencer Crissa Jackson, sports reporter Taylor Felix, sports influencer and former college basketball player Jenna Bandy, and sports reporter and producer jess Lucero.
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