A record 15.1m people watched women’s sport in the first three months of 2022 – with the average viewer tuning in for 54 extra minutes than last year.
The number of people watching three or more minutes of women’s sport coverage between January and March is nearly triple the 5.06m in the first quarter of 2021, with the previous record 10.2m set in 2019.
The research by The Women’s Sport Trust also shows the average viewing time per person has almost doubled from 68 minutes at this stage in 2021 to 122 minutes this year.
One in three viewers have tuned in on three or more occasions in 2022 in comparison to 17 per cent in the same period last year.
So far in 2022, through April 15, 17.9m people have watched women’s sport, which is up from 6.7m in the same period in 2021.
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The Women’s Super League, which is broadcast on Sky Sports, was the most-watched competition, making up 58 per cent of the viewership.
The Women’s Six Nations (25 per cent), Arnold Clark Cup (24 per cent) and ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (13 per cent) – which was also on Sky Sports – were the other most-watched events.
Sixteen per cent of all women’s sport has been watched on Sky Sports this year, with 10 per cent on Sky Sports Cricket and six per cent on Sky Sports Main Event.
‘If women’s sport is visible, audiences will watch’
Women’s Sport Trust CEO Tammy Parlour says the latest figures “validate the commitment that UK broadcasters are making to unprecedented visibility of women’s sport”.
“These encouraging figures support our long-standing view that if women’s sport is made visible, then audiences will watch,” said Parlour.
“The growing overall numbers for women’s sport, aligned to increasing habit, is particularly exciting for creating a commercially sustainable offering, particularly ahead of a huge year for women’s sport with the likes of the Women’s Euros, a Rugby World Cup for women, and the Women’s Rugby League World Cup still to come.
“There has never been a better time for brands to consider investing in women’s sport for the first time.”
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