Photo from NWHL Twitter
By Michael Heilman
The National Women’s Hockey League today announced that Twitch will be the exclusive streaming partner of the NWHL. The new three-year agreement will have all NWHL regular-season games, Isobel Cup playoffs and special events air on Twitch.
“With its accessible players and devoted fans, the NWHL is a perfect fit for Twitch in our global efforts to grow our traditional sports verticals,” said Jane Weedon, Head of New Verticals at Twitch. “We are proud to partner with the league in its mission to build the professional women’s hockey league the athletes and fans deserve.”
The NWHL first regular-season game on Twitch begins on October 5, 2019, when the Connecticut Whale host the Buffalo Beauts at 2:30 pm from the Danbury Ice Arena while the other game will feature the Metropolitan Riveters take on the Boston Pride at 4 pm from the ProSkate Ice Arena. The rest of the 2019-20 NWHL schedule can be viewed here.
Additionally, with this new deal with Twitch, the NWHL will also receive a broadcast rights fee for the first time ever as part of the NWHL-NWHL Players Association agreement. Revenue from the Twitch deal will be split in half between the NWHL and the NWHL players.
“The official announcement of our partnership with Twitch makes this a historic day for the NWHL, our players, fans and everyone who supports the advancement of women’s hockey,” said NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan, who started the league in 2015. “The live broadcasts of every single NWHL game on Twitch will allow us to both foster and grow our current community while introducing professional hockey to a new audience for the first time. Twitch’s platform also provides our fans and players the unique opportunity to collaborate on the viewing experience.”
Twitch launched in 2011 and has an estimated 15 million active users today. Twitch was acquired by Amazon in August 2014. The popular video game streaming site has expanded into sports such as NFL Thursday Night Football, NBA G-League and Pro Wrestling like Impact Wrestling, and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
“I am extremely proud that the innovators at Twitch are moving forward alongside us,” said NWHL Players’ Association executive director Anya Battaglino. “This is a huge step for women’s hockey. Getting visibility on professional women’s hockey has been extremely important. The more eyes on the women’s game, the more fans we convert. Women’s hockey is at a monumental time right now, and the more we can showcase this product, the stronger our foundation becomes. The NWHLPA is excited to have our players highlighted around the world, and for fans of the game to have an even deeper access to us.”
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