26th November 2025
November 25 – Women’s Super League (WSL) is reportedly facing anxiety over its broadcast slots after a surprisingly low audience tuned in for Arsenal vs Chelsea earlier this month.
Only about 71,000 people watched the match across Sky Sports’ channels, a number that actually sat below the 57,000 fans inside the Emirates Stadium. Last season’s equivalent fixture drew 732,000 viewers when it aired free-to-air on the BBC and landed during a men’s international break.
The sharp drop has sparked concern because lunchtime kick-offs are now the backbone of the league’s broadcast schedule. Multiple sources told the Guardian newspaper that the noon Saturday slot was the biggest reason for the decline, yet that window is becoming more common under the WSL’s £65 million, five-year rights deal with Sky. Sky has the rights to 118 live matches per season, and noon on Sunday is now its designated showcase slot. Saturday lunchtime games have jumped from just two last season to five already this year.
The problem is bigger than one fixture. Average WSL audiences last season were 337,000 on Sky and 682,000 on the BBC. This year, 49 of the league’s first 66 matches have kicked off at noon or 11.55am, directly clashing with youth football, community matches, and, on Saturdays, the Premier League and the full EFL slate. Arsenal vs Chelsea went head-to-head with Tottenham vs Manchester United and several EFL games, diluting attention even further.
This is the dilemma at the heart of the WSL’s growth strategy. The league secured record broadcast money as its profile grew after England’s 2022 Euros win, but early signs suggest viewership hasn’t kept pace. The Guardian notes that WSL attendance is averaging about 6,500 so far, with a slight year-on-year decline. Arsenal alone accounts for more than a third of those ticket sales.
While short-form and social engagement numbers are reportedly strong, the league now finds itself walking a tightrope: premium rights fees demand big audiences, yet the scheduling needed to satisfy broadcasters may be depressing the very viewership they’re paying for.
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