A historic surge in viewership for women’s sports on linear TV swept across the United Kingdom in 2023, according to a report by the Women’s Sport Trust. The report reveals that audience numbers for female athletics reached an all-time high. A staggering total of 46.7 million individuals tuned in to watch women’s sports on linear TV for over a minute, surpassing the previous record by over 1 million, which was set in 2019.
Streaming service viewership also experienced significant growth, especially during major women’s sporting events, such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup. A key factor behind this record-breaking figure was the success of England’s women’s national team, which advanced to the final. The tournament garnered 25.7 million streams on the BBC network’s iPlayer streaming service, along with 15.6 million on rival ITV’s ITVX service.
Notably, the BBC’s viewership figure represents a remarkable 75 percent increase from that of the 2019 tournament even though tthe tournament was held in Australia and New Zealand, with the logistical problem of an 8- to 13-hour time difference.
