The deal includes one live match a week streamed on iPlayer and BBC Sport and one match from each round shown on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel
Sky Sports and BBC Sport have secured deals with England Netball to air coverage from the Netball Super League (NSL).
The BBC’s two-year deal includes one live match a week across the regular season, starting Saturday 24 February, streamed on BBC iPlayer and on the BBC Sport website and app.
The 2024 season gets underway on Saturday 17 February, with BBC Sport kicking off its live and on demand match coverage from Saturday 24 February, with 2023 champions, Loughborough Lightning, facing Team Bath.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports has renewed its three-year partnership with the Netball Super League, that sees all games from the Season Opener along with the Semi Final Play Offs and Grand Final shown on Sky Sports, and with one game from each regular round shown on Sky Sports YouTube.
Sky Sports is also launching a new netball podcast called Off The Court, which features former England international, coach and pundit of the year (Broadcast Sport Awards 2023) Tamsin Greenway joined by the biggest names in netball to discuss their life on and off the court.
Fans from around the world will also be able to watch all of the games from the Season Opener, two games per regular round and all the Play Offs plus the Grand Final on the NetballPass website. A season pass, covering over 40 games, costs £39.95.
Helen Falkus, director of multi sports at Sky Sports, said: “Since 2006, Sky Sports has had a longstanding partnership with netball, and we are thrilled to reaffirm our commitment to the sport through a renewed three-year partnership. The sport’s popularity has surged in recent years, and with the landscape of the sport’s viewing patterns continuing to evolve, this deal highlights our commitment to meeting our fans where they are, with NSL coverage shown on YouTube.”
Philip Bernie, interim director, BBC Sport, said: “Our live netball coverage has become increasingly popular with audiences, and now they can follow the excitement of weekly NSL matches—free, live, and on demand—all season long. Following the success of the 2023 Netball World Cup final, which had an audience of 1.3m on the BBC, fans can now enjoy more live coverage as we keep delivering all the action of the game to a bigger audience.”
NSL managing director Claire Nelson, added: “This is a hugely important milestone that enables us to showcase our sport to a bigger audience than ever before and is an incredible opportunity for the League, our clubs and our players to satisfy the appetite that we know is there.
“As we journey to professionalisation, we remain completely committed to delivering innovation in terms of how fans consume and experience netball, and now with BBC Sport joining Sky Sports as our trusted partners, we’re not only unlocking unprecedented visibility for the League but also continuing to ensure that netball remains at the forefront of innovative sports broadcasting. With 75% of our TV audience watching on digital platforms, it’s these partnerships that will align with the changing viewing habits of our younger audiences.”
PICTURED: The Netball Super League Grand Final at the Copper Box Arena, London, England on 11 June 2023.
The following matches from the first nine regular rounds will be shown across the BBC. Matches 10-18 to be announced in due course.
Round 2: Saturday 24 February - Loughborough Lightning v Team Bath
Round 3: Friday 1 March - Team Bath v Severn Stars
Round 4: Saturday 9 March - Surrey Storm v Cardiff Dragons
Round 5: Saturday 16 March - Loughborough Lightning v Leeds Rhinos
Round 6: Saturday 23 March - Manchester Thunder v Loughborough Lightning
Round 7: Saturday 30 March - Cardiff Dragons v London Pulse
Round 8: Friday 5 April - London Pulse v Strathclyde Sirens
Round 9: Saturday 13 April - Manchester Thunder v Leeds Rhinos
The following matches from the first nine regular rounds will be shown on Sky Sports YouTube, and accessible via the Sky Sports website and app:
Round 2: Saturday 24 February – Saracens Mavericks v Leeds Rhinos
Round 3: Saturday 2 March – London Pulse v Loughborough Lightning
Round 4: Friday 8 March – Severn Stars v Manchester Thunder
Round 5: Friday 15 March – Manchester Thunder v Surrey Storm
Round 6: Friday 22 March – Leeds Rhinos v London Pulse
Round 7: Friday 29 March – Strathclyde Sirens v Loughborough Lightning
Round 8: Sunday 7 April – Saracens Mavericks v Manchester Thunder
Round 9: Friday 12 April – Team Bath v Cardiff Dragons
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