ESPN to Launch "Women’s Sports Sundays": A New Primetime Summer Destination for WNBA and NWSL

ESPN has announced the launch of Women’s Sports Sundays, a first-of-its-kind weekly primetime offering that places women’s athletics at the center of the summer sports conversation.

What’s Happening:

• The momentum of women’s sports has been growing, and ESPN is responding with a dedicated Sunday night destination starting in Summer 2026.
• ESPN will feature top-tier WNBA and NWSL matchups in primetime.
• Fans can expect a consistent schedule featuring 12 high-profile games over two months.
• The NWSL on ESPN segments will be presented by Ally.
• Beyond the live games, the initiative will be bolstered by studio programming, digital storytelling, and social media coverage across the ESPN and Disney networks.
• The move aims to establish a "main event" feel for Sunday nights, inviting both hardcore fans and newcomers to a reimagined summer tradition.

The Growing Empire of Women's Sports

• Beyond the new Sunday franchise, ESPN continues to dominate the landscape of women's athletic broadcasting:
  • Over two-thirds of all live event programming on ESPN platforms is dedicated to women’s competition.
  • Annually, ESPN networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Select) air over 30,000 hours of live women's events.
  • Coverage extends to the WSL (Women’s Super League), WLL (Women’s Lacrosse League), Grand Slam tennis, and 23 NCAA women’s championships.
  • Original programming like Vibe Check, a female-led studio show on Disney+, continues to bridge the gap between sports and lifestyle storytelling.

The Caitlin Clark Effect

• The foundation of Women’s Sports Sundays is built on unprecedented viewership data from 2024 and 2025.
• The "Caitlin Clark Effect" showed the potential for growth and interest in the WNBA.
• By moving these games to primetime Sundays, ESPN is attempting to move these games from filler slots to appointment viewing.
• The growth of the WNBA and NWSL has outperformed traditional linear TV trends, with the 2024 WNBA Finals seeing a 170% increase in viewership over previous years.
• This shift to Sunday nights mirrors the "Sunday Night Football" model and it will be interesting to see if it can grow the market.

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