NWSL Championship weekend sets league record with 2.5 million viewers

WHAT HAPPENED

The 2024 NWSL Championship became the most-watched match in the league's history. Saturday night's Championship match between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit averaged 967,900 viewers in primetime on CBS, an 18 percent increase over the previous year.

In 2023, the NWSL Championship had 816,800 viewers. The NWSL announced the viewership numbers on Tuesday, and also announced that the 2024 NWSL Skills Challenge on CBS was the most-viewed NWSL event in history - with 1,537,720 million viewers.

The Skills Challenge aired on Sunday, and according to the league, was the "most-viewed non-NFL sports event of the day."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The viewership numbers represent substantial growth in what was a record-setting year for the league. From record attendance numbers, to a historic collective bargaining agreement and massive broadcast deals, the ceiling was higher than ever.

In a media day address ahead of the NWSL Championship, commissioner Jessica Berman said the league has finalized three cities still in the running to be the newest expansion side: Cleveland, Denver, and Cincinnati. With the league growing every year, so are the viewership numbers, and fan engagement.

WHAT BERMAN SAID

“When we began our groundbreaking new media deals this season, the goal was to redefine our value and to put more of our matches in the places and spaces where fans consume content," she said in statement. “This past weekend’s outstanding coverage on CBS platforms, which included CBS Mornings’ historic broadcast from CPKC Stadium, record match viewership and the most-watched NWSL event in history, is the product our efforts to broaden and diversify our audience.

"Thanks to the collaboration of our partners at CBS, we’ve successfully brought the excitement of the NWSL to more fans than ever before.”