Women’s sport visibility hits lowest broadcast reach since 2021

Women’s Sport Trust has released an extensive visibility report that suggests that women’s sport has faced a challenging “visibility landscape” this year.

The ‘Beyond the Boundary’ report covers up to September 2026, and shows that broadcast metrics declining year-on-year, in a year without a major global women’s football tournament.

The report, with broadcast analysis from GSIQ, recorded the lowest 3+ minute broadcast reach for women’s sport in the UK since 2021, with 21.6 million people reached during the first eight months of the year.

Although overall broadcast reach declined year-on-year, broadcast coverage hours and viewing hours rose 9% to 5.74 million and 119.3 million, respectively. Average watch time increased by 33%, continuing the trend of deepening engagement among women’s sport fans.

Mixed-sport events on free-to-air television drove the biggest audiences, with the 800m final at the European Championships, featuring GB’s Keely Hodgkinson being the most-watched women’s sport moment of the year so far.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (pictured) also delivered its most-watched edition to date, even while competing for attention with the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The final between hosts England and Australia produced the tournament’s biggest broadcast audience, peaking at 381,000 despite going head-to-head with multiple high-profile sporting events on the same day. 

Additionally, England Women’s fixtures during the tournament attracted 4% higher average audiences than England Men’s T20 matches against India in July 2026.  

On the digital side, The ICC continued its Creator Club programme, engaging more than 300 creators. The programme generated 1.1 billion views across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, demonstrating the potential for creator partnerships to extend the reach of women’s sport events.

The report also examines the changing role of the BBC and what this could mean for the future visibility of women’s sport. The BBC has played a significant role in bringing women’s sport to mainstream audiences. In 2025, BBC Sport accounted for just 8% of women’s sport broadcast coverage hours, but 53% of viewing hours, highlighting the importance of free-to-air coverage in turning broadcast opportunities into audiences.

However, Women’s Sport Trust’s latest analysis of BBC Sport Online reveals that between April and September 2026, women’s sport accounted for just 11% of the top 10 stories on the BBC Sport website, the lowest proportion recorded in six years of tracking, compared with 18% in 2025 and 23% in 2022.

While the FIFA World Cup 2026 will have influenced this year’s figures, the findings underline the importance of editorial prominence in helping audiences discover and stay connected to women’s sport.

Across the digital landscape, women’s sport continued to build momentum between January and August. The WNBA generated 1.7 billion Instagram video views, more than double any other women’s league, representing a 55% year-on-year increase.

Across the top 10 women’s sport properties, a 15% rise in video uploads translated into a 35% year-on-year increase in views between January and August, highlighting the potential for consistent content to drive audience growth.

On TikTok, the AIG Women’s Open led video views with 247 million, while the WTA topped YouTube views with 228 million.

Summer events such as Wimbledon, the Commonwealth Games, The Hundred, AIG Women’s Open, European Athletics Championships and Solheim Cup, created intense competition for audience attention.

Wimbledon increased broadcast coverage and female viewership year on year, with women’s matches accounting for three of the tournament’s top 10 peak moments. Serena Williams’ return drew a peak of nearly four million viewers, and female players dominated TikTok performance on the official Wimbledon channel, featuring in seven of the top 10 most seen videos.

The Hundred recorded year on year growth in viewing hours (+15%), average watch time (+19%) and broadcast coverage (+23%), across the BBC and Sky Sports. Social output from the main tournament account approached gender parity, with 42.5% of Instagram posts between January and August focused on the women’s competition.

Commonwealth Games audiences fell compared with 2022 and 2018 following the move from BBC to TNT Sports, but women’s events delivered six of the top 10 peak audiences. Female athletes also dominated digital performance, with the top two videos each surpassing 8 million views.

European Athletics Championships viewership rose significantly on 2024, supported by upgraded BBC1 and BBC2 coverage. AIG Women’s Open live audiences on Sky Sports grew +3%, with coverage hours up +20%, although BBC highlights declined due to a later start time. Solheim Cup coverage delivered an +18% increase in average live audience on Sky Sports compared with 2024.

Tammy Parlour MBE, CEO and co-founder of Women’s Sport Trust, said: “This year’s data shows a more complex picture for women’s sport. Overall reach is lower, but those who are watching are watching for longer and engaging more deeply. The challenge now is how we broaden that audience while continuing to build on this growing loyalty.

“As the media landscape shifts, visibility cannot be taken for granted. Free-to-air coverage, and the BBC in particular, has been fundamental in bringing women’s sport to mainstream audiences. With Charter Renewal approaching, it’s vital that the implications for women’s sport are fully considered. Changes to the BBC may not have the same consequences for men’s and women’s sport, and we need to protect the routes that give women’s sport access to the broadest possible audiences. If prominence is reduced or access becomes harder, we risk losing one of the most important routes for new fans to discover women’s sport. 

“As traditional pathways evolve and new ones emerge, we must ensure women’s sport remains easy to find, widely visible and supported by the investment needed to reach broad audiences.”

Click here to see the full report.