National Women’s Soccer League and iHeartMedia Kick Off the 2021 Season With First-Ever Live Audio Streaming Coverage of League Games

Rhea-AI Summary

iHeartMedia has partnered with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to launch a dedicated NWSL Radio station on iHeartRadio for the 2021 season. This initiative will provide free live audio streams of two major league games weekly, with replays available throughout the week. This exclusive agreement represents the NWSL's first live audio partnership. The station will debut on May 15, featuring the NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Houston Dash match. iHeartMedia aims to enhance the visibility of women's professional sports through this partnership.

Positive

• Launch of the first live audio partnership in NWSL history.
• Increases accessibility to NWSL games for a broader audience.
• Highlights iHeartMedia's commitment to promoting women's sports.

Negative

• None.

iHeartMedia today announced a partnership with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) that will make live game day play-by-play audio streams available for free on an all new iHeartRadio digital NWSL Radio station during the 2021 season. The station will feature two of the biggest league games each week live, with replay available throughout the week leading up to the next live stream. The exclusive deal marks the first live audio partnership in the NWSL’s history.

“As our league continues to grow and attract new audiences, bringing live game audio to fans around the world represents a major next step for the NWSL,” said NWSL Chief Revenue Officer Mitch Poll. “This first-of-its-kind partnership with iHeartRadio has everyone around the league excited for what's to come — we can’t wait to get these game broadcasts underway!”

The new station will kick off this Saturday, May 15 with a live audio stream of the NJ/NY Gotham FC against Houston Dash game at 7 p.m. ET followed by the Orlando Pride against Washington Spirit game on Sunday, May 16 at 6 p.m. ET. Fans nationwide can tune into NWSL Radio on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio app to hear scintillating play-by-play calls featuring the NWSL’s best teams and fiercest rivalries as they happen each week. The full slate of matches to be covered on NWSL Radio can be seen below.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the National Women’s Soccer League to showcase some of soccer’s finest players and games to fans everywhere,” said Jess Jerrick, EVP of Digital Distribution and Platform Partnerships for iHeartMedia. “It’s also an honor to provide our platform and promotional power to help elevate the incredibly talented women in professional sports and their representation in the media landscape, and to be a part of a historic moment for the NWSL as the league’s first-ever live streaming audio partner. We can’t wait to share a season of high-level competition, amazing goals and rousing in-game action with fans.”

The first-ever NWSL Radio will join the iHeartRadio digital platform, which includes the company’s fast-growing podcasting business —the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings — as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio streaming audio app, available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company’s digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

Fans can visit iHeartRadio.com/apps to download iHeartRadio on their favorite device and listen to NWSL Radio anywhere they are.

About The National Women’s Soccer League

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is a ten-team Division-I women’s professional soccer league featuring national team players from around the world. The clubs are the Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, Kansas City, NJ/NY Gotham FC, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns FC, OL Reign, Racing Louisville FC and Washington Spirit. Based in Chicago, the NWSL is supported by the Canadian Soccer Association and the United States Soccer Federation.

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 250 million people each month. It is number one in both broadcast and digital streaming radio as well as podcasting and audio ad tech, and includes three segments: The iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group; the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group; and the Audio and Media Services Group. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

2021 NWSL RADIO BROADCAST SCHEDULE

DATE	TIME (EST)	HOME	AWAY	PLATFORM
5/15/2021	7:00 PM	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Houston Dash	NWSL Radio
5/16/2021	6:00 PM	Orlando Pride	Washington Spirit	NWSL Radio
5/22/2021	8:00 PM	Chicago Red Stars	NJ/NY Gotham FC	NWSL Radio
5/23/2021	7:00 PM	Houston Dash	Kansas City	NWSL Radio
5/30/2021	3:00 PM	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Portland Thorns FC	NWSL Radio
5/30/2021	7:00 PM	OL Reign	Washington Spirit	NWSL Radio
6/5/2021	3:00 PM	Chicago Red Stars	NC Courage	NWSL Radio
6/6/2021	5:00 PM	Washington Spirit	Orlando Pride	NWSL Radio
6/20/2021	3:00 PM	Racing Louisville FC	Houston Dash	NWSL Radio
6/20/2021	6:00 PM	Orlando Pride	NJ/NY Gotham FC	NWSL Radio
6/26/2021	4:00 PM	OL Reign	NJ/NY Gotham FC	NWSL Radio
6/26/2021	7:00 PM	NC Courage	Portland Thorns FC	NWSL Radio
7/3/2021	7:30 PM	Racing Louisville FC	Portland Thorns FC	NWSL Radio
7/4/2021	6:00 PM	Orlando Pride	NC Courage	NWSL Radio
7/10/2021	7:00 PM	Washington Spirit	NC Courage	NWSL Radio
7/11/2021	3:00 PM	Portland Thorns FC	NJ/NY Gotham FC	NWSL Radio
7/17/2021	7:00 PM	NC Courage	Houston Dash	NWSL Radio
7/18/2021	6:00 PM	Chicago Red Stars	OL Reign	NWSL Radio
7/24/2021	8:30 PM	Houston Dash	Portland Thorns FC	NWSL Radio
7/25/2021	3:00 PM	Racing Louisville FC	Washington Spirit	NWSL Radio
7/31/2021	7:00 PM	NC Courage	Orlando Pride	NWSL Radio
8/1/2021	3:00 PM	Portland Thorns FC	Kansas City	NWSL Radio
8/7/2021	7:00 PM	NJ/NY Gotham FC	NC Courage	NWSL Radio
8/8/2021	3:00 PM	Racing Louisville FC	Kansas City	NWSL Radio
8/14/2021	8:00 PM	Kansas City	OL Reign	NWSL Radio
8/15/2021	5:00 PM	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Racing Louisville FC	NWSL Radio
8/18/2021	7:30 PM	Racing Louisville FC	Chicago Red Stars	NWSL Radio
8/21/2021	10:00 PM	OL Reign	NJ/NY Gotham FC	NWSL Radio
8/29/2021	5:00 PM	Washington Spirit	NC Courage	NWSL Radio
8/29/2021	7:00 PM	Houston Dash	Racing Louisville FC	NWSL Radio
9/4/2021	7:00 PM	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Chicago Red Stars	NWSL Radio
9/4/2021	10:30 PM	Portland Thorns FC	Washington Spirit	NWSL Radio
9/11/2021	7:00 PM	Orlando Pride	Racing Louisville FC	NWSL Radio
9/12/2021	5:00 PM	Washington Spirit	OL Reign	NWSL Radio
9/25/2021	3:00 PM	NJ/NY Gotham FC	NC Courage	NWSL Radio
9/25/2021	8:00 PM	Chicago Red Stars	Portland Thorns FC	NWSL Radio
10/1/2021	7:00 PM	NC Courage	Washington Spirit	NWSL Radio
10/2/2021	10:00 PM	Portland Thorns FC	OL Reign	NWSL Radio
10/9/2021	8:30 PM	Houston Dash	NC Courage	NWSL Radio
10/10/2021	7:00 PM	OL Reign	Chicago Red Stars	NWSL Radio
10/16/2021	7:30 PM	Racing Louisville FC	Orlando Pride	NWSL Radio
10/16/2021	10:00 PM	OL Reign	Washington Spirit	NWSL Radio
10/30/2021	8:00 PM	Kansas City	OL Reign	NWSL Radio
10/31/2021	2:00 PM	NJ/NY Gotham FC	Racing Louisville FC	TBD
10/31/2021	2:00 PM	Washington Spirit	Houston Dash	TBD

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210512005693/en/

FAQ

What is the iHeartMedia and NWSL partnership about?

iHeartMedia has announced a partnership with the NWSL to provide free live audio streams of games on a new digital NWSL Radio station for the 2021 season.

When does the NWSL Radio station launch?

The NWSL Radio station will launch on May 15, 2021.

How many games will be streamed live on NWSL Radio?

Two major league games will be streamed live each week on NWSL Radio.

Where can I listen to NWSL Radio?

Fans can listen to NWSL Radio on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio app.

What teams will be featured in the first NWSL Radio broadcasts?

The first broadcasts will feature NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Houston Dash and Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit.