SWPL TV audience surpasses two million

The Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) has announced that over two million viewers watched the elite women’s domestic game during the 2023/24 season. This was across their broadcast partners Sky Sports, BBC ALBA, and BBC Scotland.

Just over 1.4 million tuned in during the previous season, representing growth of 46%.

On Sky Sports, the average match viewing was up 20% on last season and Celtic v Rangers in October saw a record in-home audience tune in. The match saw the highest average audience for a SWPL game (89K) and highest peak (145K).

BBC ALBA saw 48% and the weekly highlights show on BBC Scotland attracted 42% more viewers compared to the previous season and the total number of games broadcast live increased to 42, with a further 24 matches also being available online via BBC Scotland.

Fiona McIntyre, SWPL Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to confirm a record-breaking season in respect of viewing figures across our competitions. I want to thank all our broadcast partners (Sky Sports, BBC ALBA, and BBC Scotland) for their support as these figures reflect the increasing visibility of women’s football in Scotland.

“The demand for elite women’s football in Scotland has never been higher and we want to make the game as accessible as possible for anyone who wants to watch and enjoy the SWPL. This is why we’ve prioritised working with partners that share our values and our desire to promote the women’s game. A 46% growth in viewers from last season is illustrative of the significant progress being made and we are targeting more milestones as we approach the 2024/25 season.”

Gary Hughes, Director of Football at Sky Sports, said: “The growth in viewership for the SWPL this year is brilliant to see. At Sky Sports, we are proud to be part of this journey and to support the ongoing development and visibility of the women’s game. We look forward to continuing our partnership and help to drive even greater interest and engagement in the season to come.”

Fiona MacKenzie, BBC ALBA commissioning editor, said: “The latest figures clearly show the SWPL is a firm favourite to watch amongst our viewers. With over two million people tuning in to regular fixtures throughout the 2023/24 season across the SWPL’s partner channels, it reflects the dedication of the fans, watching their teams compete in each league match.

“We hope to see these viewing figures further increase with the upcoming 2024/25 season as BBC ALBA continues its SWPL partnership as the home of women’s football in Scotland.”

Douglas McNeil, BBC Sport Producer, said: “We are delighted by the strong growth in viewership in the second season of the Sportscene highlights programme. We look forward to 2024/25 with the return of our live stream matches and highlights programme.”

The total number of spectators attending matches for the 2023/24 season once again surpassed 100,000 (102,913) but fell slightly short of the 2022/23 record (106,781).

There were positive signs though with Sky Sports Cup attendances almost doubling across the competition (from 5,401 to 10,557) and 70% of SWPL clubs seeing an increase in their average attendances compared to last season. In addition, a fifth of SWPL clubs saw their average attendance increase by more than 50%.

The new ScottishPower Women’s Premier League and ScottishPower Women’s Premier League 2 seasons get underway on the weekend of Saturday 10th/Sunday 11th August.