WSL resets weekend schedule after lunchtime audiences stall

The Women’s Super League will bring back Sunday evening kick-offs in 2026-27 as part of a broadcast scheduling overhaul designed to increase television audiences and reduce clashes between matches.Six regular broadcast windows will be available during the new season, replacing a structure that concentrated much of the league’s televised inventory around weekend lunchtimes.Sky Sports will retain Saturday’s 12.45pm slot and noon kick-offs on Sundays, while adding regular matches at 7pm on Fridays and 6pm on Sundays.The BBC will broadcast fixtures at 12.30pm on Saturdays and 2.30pm on Sundays under the joint domestic rights agreement.The revised structure follows consultation between the WSL, broadcasters, clubs and supporters over how to balance television reach with attendance and travel considerations.Sunday evening matches were removed last season following criticism from clubs and fans, with attendances generally weaker than at other times.The window remained attractive to broadcasters, however, and was Sky’s strongest-performing WSL slot during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 144,000 viewers.The league will generally schedule Sunday evening games at 6pm, 45 minutes earlier than the previous slot, while retaining flexibility to avoid direct clashes with Premier League matches kicking off at 4.30pm.Derbies and other higher-profile fixtures are expected to be prioritised for Friday and Sunday evening coverage, giving broadcasters stronger inventory in windows with fewer competing WSL games.Last season’s scheduling created multiple simultaneous kick-offs, with as many as four of the six weekly fixtures taking place at noon on Sundays.That approach divided the available television audience and prevented committed supporters from watching several matches live.Some individual audiences highlighted the challenge. Sky’s coverage of Arsenal’s home victory over Liverpool attracted an average of 59,000 viewers, while Arsenal’s meeting with Chelsea in the same noon slot averaged 71,000.Sky holds rights to 163 of the WSL’s 182 matches, giving the broadcaster a significant role in scheduling discussions.The broadcaster also contributes most of the reported £65m value of the joint agreement, with the BBC’s rights fee understood to account for about £8m.Improving viewing figures is central to the WSL’s efforts to demonstrate value to broadcast partners while building a stronger platform for future media rights negotiations.The revised calendar will test whether greater exclusivity for individual fixtures can lift audiences without weakening matchday attendance or creating additional travel difficulties for supporters.