Digital consumption of women’s sport jumps sharply in the first half of 2025
A new report from the Women’s Sport Trust (WST) highlights some fascinating trends in viewership of women’s sport.
The publication - Beyond the Headlines: How Women’s Sport Is Being Seen In 2025 - came out at the end of June 2025 and shows that in some respect it’s currently something of a ‘game of two halves’.
Traditional UK linear broadcast reach fell 13% in the first five months of 2025, the first drop since 2022. There were some positive standouts, however, with The Women’s Boat Race being the UK’s most-watched women’s sporting event of 2025 so far, with 2.18 million viewers. Football and rugby made up the remainder of the top 10, with the Lionesses and home nation rugby teams featuring prominently.
However, in contrast to the disappointing linear broadcast numbers, digital engagement across all channels rose sharply from January to May 2025 due to significant increases in digital content posting from the leading women’s sport leagues and properties. The eight most-viewed accounts on each platform contributed a 105% rise on TikTok and an 84% increase on YouTube.
On an individual sport basis:
- The WNBA (basketball) led TikTok with 131 million views globally
- The WTA (tennis) topped YouTube, growing views by +75% year-on-year to 63 million.
- On Instagram, India’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) recorded the highest engagement (28 million)
- The UEFA Women’s Champions League saw a +92% increase in Facebook engagement, securing the top spot on that platform.
- In the UK, the BWSL (football) led the way for domestic women’s leagues, driving 56m TikTok views, 20m YouTube views and 6m Instagram engagements.
“It’s hugely encouraging to see women’s sport thriving on digital platforms, with athletes, teams, and leagues leveraging new ways to connect with fans. This ecosystem (built through collaboration between broadcasters, rights holders, and platforms) is vital to continuing the sport’s growth.” Tammy Parlour, CEO of the Women’s Sport Trust.
One other fascinating development was the continued growth in the popularity of individual women athlete’s social media accounts. For example, during the Women’s Six Nations Rugby tournament, players from England’s Red Roses posted more TikTok content than any other England men’s or women’s team in rugby, cricket or football. Their collective 6.7 million TikTok views were 75% higher than the England men’s rugby team.
As the report says. this demonstrates that: “in a landscape where visibility, authenticity and connection drive growth, players aren’t just part of the story – they’re leading it.
The second half of 2025 promises to be a strong period for women’s sport viewing figures. With the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 tournament, the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and a record number of Barclays Women’s Super League football matches scheduled for broadcast in the upcoming season on Sky Sports, UK broadcast figures are expected to rebound in the second half of the year.
The report can be accessed in full HERE.
