Fox Soccer Channel announced a multi-year deal Monday to carry live weekly Women’s Professional Soccer matches during its inaugural season beginning in April 2009. The announcement coincided with the league’s Oct. 6 draft held at its San Francisco headquarters.
The three-year deal with an option for a fourth will provide the nascent WPS with live Sunday night coverage to FSC's 34 million homes for a minimum of 20 regular-season games and the WPS All-Star Game. Post-season coverage in August will run on Fox Sports Net, extending the reach to 80 million.
“Fox Soccer Channel takes great pride in showcasing the ‘beautiful game’ at all levels, and the addition of Women’s Professional Soccer to our programming lineup will add an exciting new dimension to our network,” said David Sternberg, executive VP/general manager of Fox Soccer Channel, in a statement.
“Fox Soccer Channel has become the go-to place for global soccer coverage in the United States and is a tremendous broadcast platform for our league,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci in a statement. “Between the FSC flagship, the Fox Sports Net regional networks and FoxSoccer.com, FSC is the right partner to bring WPS, the world’s best women’s soccer league, to sports fans and soccer fanatics alike.”
