BWSL taps IMG to market international rights as UK women’s soccer league is primed for global following

The GIST: Last week, the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) — the top flight for UK women’s soccer — enacted a multiyear partnership with global sports marketing firm IMG to exclusively handle its international media rights. The powerhouse agency has experience securing deals with top channels in emerging markets as well as wide-reaching platforms in popular regions.

• With the BWSL and BWSL2 (formerly the Women’s Championship) reaching an estimated 72.1M viewers globally last season, the UK league has its sights set on cultivating international fandom like the Premier League, which has spun UK men’s soccer into a global phenomenon. Everybody wants to rule the world.

The details: For the upcoming season, IMG has already bumped BWSL broadcasts onto prime networks in existing markets such as Australia, Norway, MENA, Spain, and Italy. Additionally, the league is banking on increased exposure through major deals in emerging markets such as China, Brazil, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mexico and Central America, and Southeast Asia.

• Notably, the BWSL doesn’t have a specific U.S. rights broadcaster, although the league reportedly renewed its one-year deal with ESPN to stream marquee games on ESPN+. Interestingly, IMG also helped the NWSL negotiate its current domestic media rights deal as well as securing international distribution in overlapping BWSL markets.

The precedent: Meeting the international appetite for soccer is something the Premier League has done successfully, with top clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea investing in global marketing efforts in Asia, South America, and Africa. Among these, Man City boasts the highest share of non–UK fan interest with 97% of search interest coming outside the region.

• Premier League fandom is pervasive, and for many, fairly recent. The league is followed by 1.87B people, with 34% becoming interested in the past four years. A substantial portion of these fans are in Asia: In 2023, 56% of soccer fans in Southeast Asia were following the Premier League.

The opportunity: The Asia and Pacific region continues to be the clearest global growth opportunity for women’s soccer — consider the viewership in the region, including a record number in China, during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. However, there’s opportunity in the U.S. as well, evidenced most recently by record Women’s Euro viewership.

• The BWSL is building a prestigious brand, one that’s courting American players and American partners. With the BWSL already permeating the U.S. soccer scene through matches, transfers, and increasing coverage, the UK league may be poised to be the world’s next Premier League in terms of global branding. Time to meet their own goals.