WTGL's Inaugural Season Set to Broadcast on ESPN and ION

ESPN and ION are the key part of a multi-platform distribution agreement that will bring the new Women's Team Golf League (WTGL) to televisions and devices everywhere.

What's Happening:

• WTGL, the new women’s team golf league created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, have announced a multiyear U.S. media rights agreements with ESPN and Scripps Sports/ION starting with the league’s inaugural season. 
• WTGL will launch Sunday, November 8 from SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, airing across two national sports leaders - ESPN and ION.
• ESPN served as the U.S. media rights partner for the first two seasons of TGL presented by SoFi. WTGL matches and shoulder programming will air across ESPN platforms (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2), giving the new league a premier sports media home with broad national reach across linear, streaming and digital channels.
• ION gives the new league a consistent broadcast presence on a multi-platform network available free over the air to every television home in America. WTGL joins ION’s top-tier women’s sports lineup.ION, The E.W. Scripps Company’s national sports and entertainment network reaches more than 128 million households nationally.
• A full WTGL Season 1 schedule, commentators, production details, and networks will be announced prior to the start of the season.
• WTGL features five teams - Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Los Angeles Golf Club, Motor City Golf Club, and New York Golf Club - competing in a round-robin regular season where every match carries postseason implications, building to the Playoffs: single-elimination Semifinals and a best-of-three Finals.
• The format is simple to follow — two teams enter, and two hours later, one team leaves the winner.

What They're Saying:

• Rosalyn Durant, executive vice president, programming and acquisitions, ESPN: "We are genuinely excited to be the home for WTGL as it launches its inaugural season this fall. ESPN has been part of TGL’s story since it first teed off, and bringing WTGL to fans across ESPN platforms builds on that history while reflecting our ongoing commitment to growing and elevating women’s sports. It reflects our belief in the continued momentum of women's golf and our confidence in TMRW Sports' vision for an innovative, entertaining team format that engages our fans."
• Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company: WTGL is a compelling addition to ION’s signature women’s sports lineup, bringing fans a new national stage for women’s team golf. With world-class athletes, an innovative team format and a high-energy technology-driven environment, WTGL will bring fans up close to women’s golf to connect more fans with the players and competition shaping the future of the game. We look forward to helping WTGL reach audiences nationwide through consistent, accessible national distribution on ION, the home for women’s sports.”
• Rufus Hack, president, golf, TMRW Sports: “Together, ESPN and ION provide a bold, modern stage for the best players in women’s golf and the ideal overall stage for WTGL. As we build toward the start of WTGL’s inaugural season this November, this partnership gives us and the LPGA a tremendous platform to bring the world-class skill, personalities and competitive spirit of these athletes to fans across the country.”

ESPN and Women's Sports:

• ESPN has played a major role in the growth of women's sports in the United States, especially in Women's basketball, softball, soccer, gymnastics, and college sports.
• Their involvement has evolved from simply televising the events to actively building programming, storytelling, and media franchises around the athletes.
• In 1996, the network gained exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Women's basketball tournament, and in 1997, was there for the beginning of the WNBA.
• Over the years, ESPN has become the industry leader in women’s sports coverage, with more live events, original programming and dedicated storytelling across its platforms than any other media company.