CBS to air NWSL championship game in primetime, marking first for the league

Women’s soccer is getting the primetime treatment this fall. Today, CBS Sports announced that the 2022 Ally Financial NWSL Championship will air in its first-ever primetime slot, beginning at 8 p.m. on Oct. 29. The match, which is presented by Budweiser and taking place on Audi Field in Washington D.C., will be broadcast on CBS and stream on Paramount+ and on Twitch internationally.

The game had originally been scheduled for 12 p.m. CBS worked with NWSL and Ally, which began sponsoring the league last year, to bring more awareness to women’s sports by airing the match in the evening.

“This was one of the early challenges identified in doing my research of an obstacle for players and for fans from a growth perspective to ensure we are showing up as a real, professional league that at a minimum has our champion game in primetime,” said Jessica Berman, who was named the commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League in March. She noted that being in primetime gives the league the opportunity to reach a broader audience.

Since becoming commissioner, Berman has been working with Dan Weinberg, executive VP of programming at CBS Sports on the evening placement. Weinberg noted that CBS had to clear out space in its schedule and find a date that worked for the broadcast.

The new placement could signify a new beginning for women’s sports, a goal that Ally has been working toward. Earlier this year, the financial brand pledged to give equal ad dollars to both women’s and men’s sports in an effort to achieve gender parity, an effort it publicized with a campaign earlier this summer.

“We’re at a tipping point for women’s sports—the demand for it is exceptional,” said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer at Ally, noting that the brand sees “huge over delivery” around its investment in the NSWSL.

To spread awareness, CBS will advertise the championship game on different promotional platforms including linear, digital and social channels and editorial content. Marketing will be long-form and short-form, according to Weinberg. Ally plans to piggyback on such content as well as run a larger influencer campaign beginning this week. That push will highlight male and female sports influencers. Brimmer also said the brand plans to have a big presence on the ground at the stadium on Oct. 29.

Last week, the NWSL hired NFL marketer Julie Haddon as its first chief marketing officer. 

“We are going to be really ideating and challenging Julie to think about new ways to reach new audiences and pull people in,” Berman said. She added that “We know that the WNSL can be part of changing the narrative around women’s sports to show this is a real business and when you put it in a position to be successful, it will deliver ROI.”