Toronto
The six-team Professional Women's Hockey League has partnered with three Canadian broadcast networks for its inaugural season starting Monday.
TSN, Sportsnet and CBC/Radio-Canada will each broadcast select games in 2024, the league said Friday in a release.
"The visibility offered across our broadcast and streaming schedule is unprecedented in women’s hockey and reinforces the growing interest in our sport,” said PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten. "Accessibility of PWHL games throughout our inaugural season is a giant win for fans everywhere.
"We felt it was a priority to engage a magnitude of committed partners on a variety of consistent platforms."
All three networks will broadcast the season opener between Toronto and New York on New Year's Day at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
25-year-old Jessie Eldridge of Barrie is a forward with the New York franchise.
Of the remaining 71 games on the PWHL schedule, 51 will be available on linear television in Canada (25 on TSN, 16 on Sportsnet and 10 on CBC) while the remaining 21 will be available on the league's YouTube channel. TSN, Sportsnet and CBC will also provide streaming coverage of select games.
French-language coverage of all Montreal games will be split between RDS, Radio-Canada and ICI TOU.TV. The league also said regional deals are in place in the United States with MSG Networks and NESN.
TSN will broadcast playoff games and the 2024 PWHL Championship.
“The launch of the PWHL is a historic moment for the game of hockey and we are incredibly proud to partner with the league, working together to showcase these elite athletes for a national audience, and inspiring the next generation of players,” said Bell Media Sports vice-president Shawn Redmond.
The opening game will feature a broadcast team led by CBC Sports host Andi Petrillo. Other participants include TSN's Tessa Bonhomme and Cheryl Pounder, Anastasia Bucsis of CBC Sports, Hailey Salvian of The Athletic, former pro player Saroya Tinker and broadcaster Daniella Ponticelli, the league said.
"The PWHL's inaugural season is a momentous occasion in women's sport that will no doubt inspire future generations of hockey fans and players to come," said CBC Sports & Olympics executive director Chris Wilson. "CBC Sports is committed to providing equal coverage of women’s sport across all platforms and is proud to provide a national stage for the PWHL, helping to further grow audiences for women's hockey in Canada and celebrate the incredible talent in this country and around the world."
Additional broadcast partners may be announced throughout the season, the league said.
Banner image: Montreal's Marie-Philip Poulin moves in on goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens during the Professional Women's Hockey League’s (PWHL) training camp in Montreal, Saturday, November 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2023.
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