Women's sport in the UK shattered viewership records in 2025, logging 397 million viewing hours and reaching 48 million people, according to a new report from the Women’s Sport Trust. The growth highlights a tipping point where major tournaments and strengthening domestic leagues are creating a more consistent, mainstream audience.
More than a moment: The success wasn't just due to big events like the UEFA Women’s Euros and the Rugby World Cup. Even without that hype, the UK's domestic leagues had their second-best year on record, proving a consistent, year-round audience is taking shape that doesn't just show up for the big finals.
The broadcast playbook: For the first time, total broadcast time surpassed 10,000 hours, exposing a split in media strategy. While pay-TV delivered the volume with nearly 70% of broadcast hours, it was free-to-air channels that drove audience scale, generating nearly 80% of the total time spent watching.
The crossover effect: Audiences are now treating women's competitions as part of their main sports rotation, not a niche interest. The data backs this up: the share of Women’s Super League viewers who also watch the men’s Premier League jumped from 43% to 55% in just one year.
The key now is to convert that peak attention into a regular habit. WST chief executive Tammy Parlour noted that while major events prove what's possible, "depth of engagement and consistent domestic viewing still lag behind peak years."
