The WSL and ESPN are in bed together, which is sure to be a viewership boon. Photo: Brent Bielmann//World Surf League
The World Surf League (WSL) has nailed down a deal with ESPN to stream events live on ESPN+. Starting with the upcoming Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, the sports giant will broadcast all 10 WSL Championship Tour events as well as the U.S. Open of Surfing. In addition to the CT events and the U.S. Open of Surfing, ESPN2 will run episodes of WSL: Inside Pro Surfing.
One can only imagine that the partnership is being celebrated at the WSL, where the goal is at least partially to expand viewership to something that falls a little more on the mainstream sport side of things. With the push in recent years to make surf-related reality shows like the now-cancelled The Ultimate Surfer and surfing’s inclusion into the Olympics, surfing is creeping its way into ball and stick territory. Despite the fact that many surfers would prefer that wasn’t the case, the effort appears to be succeeding. ESPN’s willingness to run the WSL’s programming on its channels is one more indicator of that.
“Working with ESPN this season is a fantastic opportunity to bring the sport to more viewers and new audiences across different platforms in the United States,” said Cherie Cohen, WSL Chief Revenue Officer. “They are the biggest name in sports content in the USA, and this agreement offers us the opportunity to share surfing with the millions of subscribers across their digital properties as well as on linear television.”
ESPN sounded stoked as well.
“We are thrilled to showcase the 2024 WSL Championship Tour across ESPN platforms,” said Tim Reed, ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions. “Distributing the WSL CT live events rights on ESPN+ provides our audiences full access to the premier surf tour, where the top men and women will compete for the championship crown at legendary surf spots all over the world. The WSL CT is a great addition to the platform and live competitive surfing will fit well alongside an already significant content offering. We look forward to kicking off the season in Hawaii next week.”
