News by “Sports Reporter“
In a milestone for women’s sports, a record-breaking 46.7 million viewers in Britain tuned in to watch women’s sports on TV in 2023, surpassing the previous mark set in 2019 by nearly a million, according to research released by the Women’s Sport Trust on Tuesday.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup final, featuring England facing off against Spain at Stadium Australia, emerged as the standout event of 2023, drawing in 38.4 million viewing hours.
These statistics, which accounted for viewers who watched at least one minute of women’s sports on linear TV, revealed a 16% increase in average viewing time to 10 hours and seven minutes per person, compared to eight hours and 44 minutes in 2022.
“The industry must seize these opportunities to drive further awareness and engagement, enabling us to expand the audience for women’s sports and connect with fans wherever they may be,” remarked Women’s Sport Trust CEO Tammy Parlour.
Parlour also highlighted the encouraging trend of attracting more younger, female fans, indicating the development of a distinct fanbase for women’s sports.
On pay-TV, the third day of the Solheim Cup, which ended in a 14-14 draw between Europe and Team USA in September, emerged as the most-watched women’s sports event, amassing 3.1 million viewing hours.
The research also revealed a surge in digital viewership, with the Women’s World Cup generating 25.7 million streams on the BBC iPlayer platform, marking a 75% increase from the 2019 edition.
Despite a 5% decline in domestic sports consumption on TV, the Women’s Sport Trust attributed the rise in Women’s Super League video views to 150 million, a 268% increase from 2022, to the influence of social media platform TikTok.
Furthermore, football retained its status as the most-watched sport, accounting for 74% of viewing hours, followed by cricket (15%), rugby union (5%), and golf (3%).
