WNBA TV ratings are up this season 23% over last year’s breakout-year performance, and softball’s NCAA College World Series on ESPN last month averaged a record 1.3 million viewers.
With the “moment” female-driven competition is enjoying in mind, FAST channel programmer Swerve TV has launched Swerve Sports, a new free streaming channel devoted to live events, series, films and highlights themed around women’s sports.
Launching on free, ad-supported streaming services The Roku Channel and Pluto TV, Swerve TV promises the “best in women’s football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball, gymnastics, boxing, rugby and more.” The channel has deployed the tagline “Where women rule the game.”
Also check out our exclusive StreamTV Live video interview with Swerve TV Chair Christy Tanner below or see a transcript here:
Content partners backing the channel include Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball, Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball, Athletes Unlimited Softball League, Women’s Football Alliance, Red Bull, Outside, USA Cheer & Stunt, Freestyle Trampoline Association, Queen & King of the Court, Professional Fighters League, Invicta Fighting Championships, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and Stihl Timbersports.
"Our research on Gen Z sports viewers found that more live events and more highlights were most in demand, with 41% wanting more women's sports highlights and 38% wanting more women's games and matches,” Swerve TV’s Tanner, the former CBS News executive overseeing the launch of the new channel, told StreamTV Insider.
“For Gen Z, streaming is their No. 1 most-watched source of sports content, followed by No. 2 social. We feel confident that Swerve Sports is in the sweet spot of demand, and we're interested to gather more information on fans' viewing preferences as we make this channel available in more than 80% of US and Canadian homes,” Tanner added.
Swerve TV was founded in 2021 by digital media veterans Steve Shannon and Dan Keston. As it is with Swerve’s flagship FAST channel, Swerve Combat, a 24/7 channel devoted to blood-sport enthusiasts, Swerve Sports will target the Gen-Z audience. Now featuring more than 200 live events annually, Swerve Combat is currently experiencing 215% YoY audience growth, Swerve said, reaching 20 million viewers in the last year.
“With the launch of Swerve Sports, we’re applying the same innovative approach that fueled the breakout success of Swerve Combat,” said Shannon, who also serves as CEO, in a statement. “We’re redefining what’s possible in women’s sports for fan engagement with athletes, teams, and leagues.”
Added Tanner: "Broadly, women's leagues, teams and athletes are rewriting the rules of engagement for fans. Our Swerve team will be combining forces with these mavericks to rewrite the rules of sports viewing to create more opportunities for connection, fandom and sharing the joy of sports.”