Heading into its third season, the PWHL still doesn’t have a U.S. TV deal – why?
As everyone is excited for the puck to drop on the 2025-26 PWHL season, fans across the United States are subject to the same viewing options they had in the first two years of the league… with no national television deal.
The first two years of the PWHL have seen Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) carry the load for TV coverage in the states, with the Boston Fleet (NESN), Minnesota Frost (FanDuel Sports Network North) and New York Sirens (MSG) getting prime access to games on a nightly basis. One of the league’s newest teams, the Seattle Torrent, has followed suit, with games being broadcast on KONG, a broadcast partner of the Seattle Kraken, and FOX 13+.
However, there’s no real avenue for fans with basic satellite and cable packages to watch the games in America. That’s certainly not the same narrative in Canada, where TSN, CBC, RDS and Radio-Canada have been broadcast partners for the past two seasons, with Sportsnet returning this season after taking a hiatus last season (most likely to help with the coverage of the Vancouver Goldeneyes).
The only consistent options for U.S. viewers coast-to-coast are to stream the games on YouTube, which garners praise for its fan interaction, as well as criticism from those who don’t want to switch between watching on television and streaming on a device or TV app.
Last year, the league “expanded” its TV coverage in the United States by streamlining broadcasts to networks such as Sportsnet Pittsburgh and ‘over-the-air’ partners, which are owned by Scripps Sports and Gray Television, with viewer access limited to those in the respective markets. The league announced plans for games to also be broadcast to various FanDuel Sports Networks (Detroit, Midwest, Florida, etc.), but fans have to continue to look at updated schedules in order to see if contests will be available in their market.
It begs the question, why can’t the PWHL get a true, national TV contract in the United States?
I asked senior vice president of business operations, Amy Scheer, what discussions, if any, have taken place between the PWHL and major networks (ESPN, CBS, FOX, etc.). Scheer admits that talks with potential broadcast partners are constant.
“We talk to them all of the time,” Scheer said in a media availability on Tuesday. “We talk to all the major broadcast players all throughout the year, and there has certainly been great interest in the PWHL. It’s certainly part of the strategy for the future to have a major U.S. broadcast partner, but today, we continue to be in growth mode.”
Scheer describes “growth mode” as a plan to simply get the league on people’s screens, using the various platforms to achieve that.
“When we think strategically, what is the best for us today? It’s this combination of meeting the fan where the fan is. That’s not just one singular method. It’s over the air. It’s the RSNs. It’s digital streaming…As we continue to grow, our strategy remains – accessibility and eyeballs.”
The PWHL is expected to expand next season. After adding Seattle and Vancouver this year, reports say that the league could create two or more franchises for the 2026-27 campaign. Scheer cites that the number of franchises will lead to more interest in the league as a whole.
“As we continue to expand our teams, the value is just going to continue to grow. So, there will be more to talk about on the broadcast end. Our strategy remains audience growth and audience building, and until we decide to change that strategy, we’ll continue down this path of audience growth.”
A couple of sources didn’t confirm to Daily Faceoff whether the league has been in contact with their network, but one noted that “a league like that” would have to purchase the airtime. Scheer was asked if the PWHL would ever pursue buying TV slots to get on the big networks, rather than wait for them to come calling.
“Every strategy is on the table. There are a lot of things that we talk about, but ultimately, what we’re doing this year, we felt was the best option for us.”
The old adage of “to make money, you have to spend money,” might be tickling your brain right now. While there might be some truth to that, the league clearly isn’t in a position to gamble on hoping that viewership will rise if they pay their way onto TV.
For those who remember, for the last couple of seasons of the Premier Hockey Federation (formerly known as the National Women’s Hockey League), all games were streamed on ESPN+ in the U.S., with the Isobel Cup Finals in 2022 and 2023 both being televised on ESPN2. Granted, that deal didn’t see either the league or Disney pay for the games to be broadcast.
The PHF also had its 2021 semifinals and championship game broadcast live on the old NBC Sports Network.
DFO has attempted to get in touch with the league about the current broadcast deals in both Canada and the U.S., regarding financial details to get the PWHL’s games on TV across the continent. The league ignored our request.
While the PWHL insists on its continued growth and how it could lead to an eventual big-ticket contract down the line, passionate fans are relegated to watching games online or, if they’re lucky, in a market where games are televised. If not…it’s back to staring at the purple screen.
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