How Can The PWHL Mimic The Pro Volleyball Federation's Early Broadcasting Success

The PWHL and PVF have drawn remarkably similar attendance numbers through their inaugural seasons, but only one league multiple national broadcasting partners in the USA.

Two professional women's sports leagues launched in North America in 2024: the Pro Volleyball Federation and the Professional Women's Hockey League. One came into their inaugural season with a national broadcasting partner, and the other several regional networks along with free streaming worldwide on YouTube.

By year two, the PWHL had secured national broadcasting in Canada through TSN and CBC, along with a streaming deal with Amazon Prime, but had no national deal in place in the United States. The PVF, entering year two, signed a multi-year national extension with CBS Sports who also covered the league in their inaugural season, and followed that with another national broadcasting agreement with FS1 and FS2.

On the surface, the league's got off to a similar start. The PVF kicked off with seven teams, while the PWHL had six. Those PVF teams averaged 4,487 fans per game, while PWHL teams averaged 5,448 fans per game. Both leagues plan to expand next season with the PWHL still evaluating markets, and the PVF destined to expand to Dallas and Kansas City. The interest was obvious for both leagues in the ongoing boom for women's professional sport. 

Why then, does one have multiple national American broadcasting deals, while the other is scrapping together regional deals on the fly?

"I think there are some national partners that would be willing to carry our games today, and I think there are some national partners that feel that we need to grow beyond the current markets that we're in."

Those were the words of Amy Scheer leading into the PWHL's second season on why there was no national network deal in place for the PWHL in the United States. Currently, the PWHL has only three American cities - Boston, New York, and Minnesota. At the moment, the PWHL is a regional league with national appeal, not a national league. Conversely, the PVF launched with teams in Vegas and San Diego on the West Coast, Nebraska in the Midwest, and Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, and Florida in the East. One significant difference between the league's at the foundational level, is the PVF had two years lead up to plan, while the PWHL had six months.

CBS spoke of their "commitment to showcasing high-level women's sports across our platforms” upon signing their extension with the PVF, and as the league's press release stated, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, volleyball is now the most popular team sport among high school girls. Hockey has been rapidly growing in popularity across the United States, adding thousands of new participants each year. And much of that growth is occurring in "non-traditional" hockey markets. From 2022-23 to 2023-24, USA Hockey reported Michigan, California, Colorado, and Florida as the nation's four fastest growing hockey states.

Broadcasting brings revenue, and helps secure the long term success of professional leagues. Perhaps it's another reason the PWHL is pursuing aggressive expansion timelines.

The appetite for professional women's hockey in Canada is through the roof. Average in-market attendance for Canadian teams in season one was 6,096. In the USA that number fell to 4,468. Although the sample size is low, in 2024-25 that number has slipped to 4,308 in the USA, while climbing to 8,106 in Canada. For the PWHL's Takeover Tour, the league immediately sold out games in Canadian markets including Vancouver and Edmonton, and is nearly sold out in Quebec City. Aside from Denver, Seattle, and Detroit the American markets on the tour, including St. Louis, Buffalo, and Raleigh, look like their numbers will struggle.

Despite positive ticket sales, the lure of a potential national broadcasting partner, or partners, in the United States might be enough to push the PWHL to ignore Canada's fan base in favor of American markets in expansion. There is no other way to become a national league, than by placing franchises across the nation. The same does not apply in Canada, but for American broadcasters, it seems a barrier. The league could perhaps mix the best of both worlds with an initial two team expansion to Vancouver and Seattle ensuring they are tapping into the Pacific Time Zone, but the league will almost certainly take long looks at Seattle, Denver, and Detroit with broadcasting in mind. Still, the PWHL should tread lightly when following the NHL's avoidance of Canada, although the current plunge in the Canadian dollar won't help Canada's case.

Interesting enough, the PVF won't be the only professional women's volleyball league in America soon, as League One Volleyball plans to launch this winter, following a similar model to the PWHL with teams launching without branding. Teams will go by names such as LOVB Atlanta Volleyball, and perhaps it's no coincidence Billie Jean King is an investor in League One.

Any new league has stumbles, and despite some of the early issues in management of the PWHL, the popularity of women's hockey both in North America, and globally has never been higher. Nations across the world are breaking attendance records for domestic leagues and international competition with regularity, and in a very short time, the PWHL has captured a devoted fan base willing to open their wallets or purses and throw money at the league for tickets, merchandise, and streaming. 

In 2023-24, registration for women's hockey players in Canada hit an all time high representing 19.9% of all registrants in the country, topping 108,000. In the USA, their enrolment continues to climb as well, hitting an all-time high of nearly 94,000 registrants in women's and girls' hockey. Women's hockey in the USA is driving overall growth in America with growth rates among women and girls surpassing overall rates. With the success of the PWHL, numbers are certain to grow in both nations. With this continued growth, a national broadcaster will emerge for the PWHL, hopefully in time for season three.