The unlikely media interest in all things women’s sports – CNBC

Despite the potential, some media buyers say that much of the media and advertisers still are hesitant to commit to women’s sports coverage. One cited the lack of viewership compared with men’s sports. Another source pointed out that many media companies and brands “are full of guys who have been doing sports for the last 25 years, and they just don’t get (the appeal of women’s sports).”

Even this crop of women’s sports coverage doesn’t highlight live sports. It’s mostly profiles, and, in the case of Fox, fictionalized sports stories. While ESPN touted women like MLB analyst Jessica Mendoza, ESPN The Magazine and ESPNw editor-in-chief Alison Overholt and “His and Hers” host Jemele Hill during its upfront presentation on Tuesday, it still emphasized that its key demographic and programming was for young men.

But digital could become the testing ground, and if it succeeds, it could lead to more coverage. Nick Bourne, chief commercial officer at Bigballs Media, which runs two of the largest digital soccer video brands, said digital has more leeway to experiment with women’s sports content. Young women are more likely to be on digital platforms compared with men, he said.

For example, Pew Research Center reported that 76 percent of women who use the internet use social networking sites, versus 72 percent of men. Nielsen has also reported that more women get their news from social media (28 percent) than men (25 percent), as well as are more likely to use it for entertainment (48 percent versus 45 percent).

“It’s got the role models,” Bourne said. “It’s got the stories, especially when you look at women’s soccer. It’s perfect for digital because when you look at where the young females are, they are on digital rather than TV.”

Update: A previous version of this article stated that Refinery 29 said that Elena Delle Donne would be a part of the “Brawlers” series. After publication, Refinery 29 notified CNBC that she will no longer appear because of a scheduling conflict.