THE Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) has announced a “record-breaking” number of viewers tuned in to watch the elite women’s domestic game during the 2023/24 season.
More than 2 million viewers watched this season, compared with just over 1.4 million during the last season – an increase of 46%.
Viewing figures were collected from Sky Sports, BBC ALBA and BBC Scotland.
On Sky Sports, the average match viewing was up 20% compared to last season, with the most watched game being Celtic v Rangers in October.
The match saw the highest average audience for a SWPL game at 89,000 viewers, and a highest peak audience of 145k viewers.
BBC ALBA saw a 48% increase in viewership, with the weekly highlights show on BBC Scotland attracting 42% more viewers compared to the previous season.
Fiona McIntyre (below), managing director of SWPL, said: “We are delighted to confirm a record-breaking season in respect of viewing figures across our competitions.
“I want to thank all our broadcast partners for their support as these figures reflect the increasing visibility of women’s football in Scotland.
“The demand for elite women’s football in Scotland has never been higher and we want to make the game as accessible as possible for anyone who wants to watch and enjoy the SWPL.”
The number of spectators attending matches in-person for 2023/24 was 102,913 – slightly short of the 2022/23 record of 106,781.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports Cup attendances almost doubled across the competition, from 5401 to 10,557.
Around 70% of SWPL clubs saw an increase in their average attendances compared to last season, whilst around 20% of clubs reported that their average attendance increased by more than 50%.
Gary Hughes, director of football at Sky Sports, said: “The growth in viewership for the SWPL this year is brilliant to see.
“At Sky Sports, we are proud to be part of this journey and to support the ongoing development and visibility of the women's game.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership and help to drive even greater interest and engagement in the season to come.”
Fiona MacKenzie, BBC ALBA commissioning editor, said: “The latest figures clearly show the SWPL is a firm favourite to watch amongst our viewers.
“We hope to see these viewing figures further increase with the upcoming 2024/25 season as BBC ALBA continues its SWPL partnership as the home of women’s football in Scotland.”
Douglas McNeil, BBC Sport producer, said: “We are delighted by the strong growth in viewership in the second season of the Sportscene highlights programme.
“We look forward to 2024/25 with the return of our live stream matches and highlights programme.”
The new ScottishPower Women’s Premier League and ScottishPower Women’s Premier League 2 seasons get underway on the weekend of August 10 and 11.
