The Women’s Sports Network commits to publish weekly TV listings for women’s sport & fitness from their website – www.wsnet.co.uk
This Friday we launch WSNet-TV Listing a free, weekly on-line publication covering screened events on women’s sport across all visual media to make sport on TV more available to women, draw attention to the woeful lack of coverage and also allow NGBs promote events which they are increasingly publishing/streaming directly via the internet.
The need for this service was highlighted last week when the new Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, called on television bosses to broadcast more women’s sport in the wake of the success of stars such as Jessica Ennis and Ellie Simmonds during London 2012. Mrs Miller said the success of Team GB’s female athletes had been truly inspirational and that the huge TV audiences showed the public had a real appetite for mainstream coverage of women’s sport.
Research by the WSFF before London 2012 shows that women’s sport in the UK only receives some 2% of media coverage. “These SportsWomen serve as incredibly powerful role models for women and young girls. This needs to be embraced by broadcasters through continued mainstream coverage” said Miller.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19608812
“Millers’ comments could not be more timely,” said Emma Louise Vetriano, Social Media Manager at The Women’s Sports Network. “WSNet is today launching a weekly online TV listing guide to make women’s sport on TV more accessible. This will be updated regularly and women can sign up to receive a weekly TV updates of sport & fitness on TV AND Internet.”
Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham & Aylesford and member of the APPG on Women’s Sport & Fitness said “This is an absolutely brilliant idea and coming at a time when there is a real appetite to watch and support women’s sport. It is essential that if we are to keep girls interested in sport they can watch their role models on TV and this service will enable them to do that”.
Support for National Governing Bodies to promote Women’s Sport
“WSNet will offer National Governing Bodies and other ‘match rights owners’ publicity on WSNet-TV Times” by scheduling live-streamed events and women’s matches etc. These will be published within our schedule at no cost to the rights owner” Said Vetriano.
‘Our WSNet-TV Listing service clearly underscores Miller’s calls for broadcasters to improve their coverage of Women’s Sport. We see social/digital media offering huge opportunities for women’s sport to broadcast, narrow cast, twitter-cast and work alongside traditional media to the benefit of WomensSport,” added Vetriano.
Vicky Clark – UK Co-ordinator at World Squash Day said “this is a fantastic opportunity for women’s sport and particularly women’s squash; we will use this super service from WSNet to promote all the events we will be ‘screening’ during and in the lead-up to World Squash Day on 20 October. This is a real milestone which may just prise open the floodgates a centimetre or two!”
Danielle Sellwood, Co-founder of Sportsister commented, “We are delighted that WSNet is helping to promote women’s sport with TV listings. This post Olympic/Paralympic period is critical if we are to keep the momentum going and projects like this are really helping. These are exciting times for supporters of women’s sport and we look forward to seeing a time when it gets the coverage it deserves.”
Mrs Miller is the minister for women and equalities as well as Culture Media and Sport Secretary.
Women’s SportsNet
Is raising the profile of women’s sport and the profile of some of our great SportsHeroines. Helping women to feel comfortable and confident with sport with the Women TRYSport Campaign linking thousands of women who want to TRY sport with the events listed (free) on our website. This unfunded, not-for-profit and unsponsored project run by a group of volunteer, sports nuts offers huge opportunity, exposure & access to women’s sport by working with a number of SportsHeroines & to raise the profile of women’s sport.
