The rapid growth of interest in women's football over the past five years has placed broadcasters at the centre of a debate about how best to present the sport to an expanding and increasingly diverse audience. Sky Sports and the BBC have long led coverage in the UK, but the arrival of Disney+ as a broadcaster of the Champions League ahead of the 2025-26 season has added a significant new player to the landscape, one keen to tap into the game's growing commercial appeal.

As competition for viewers intensifies, broadcasters have been experimenting with new formats, presentation styles and tones. Some of these attempts have pushed boundaries further than others — Disney+, for instance, drew attention for having a dog present during one of its broadcasts. Not every experiment has landed well with audiences, however, and the wider question of who exactly these innovations are designed for remains unresolved.

Journalist Carrie Dunn, who has spent more than two decades covering women's sport, believes the uncertainty stems from broadcasters struggling to define their target audience. "The challenge broadcasters are finding is that they are not sure who the audience is," she said. "A lot of it is targeted at a new generation and it's clearly not for people who have watched women's football for longer."

Dunn also pointed to financial pressures as a factor shaping coverage decisions. "Often it's a resourcing issue," she explained. "Budgets are being cut and you're finding the same presenters and the same pundits trying to be all things to all people. It just doesn't work."

This tension was underlined over the summer when the BBC confirmed that its Women's Super League highlights programme would not continue into the 2026-27 season. The broadcaster stressed it remained committed to the women's game, pointing to alternative offerings such as a dedicated YouTube channel, a new iPlayer-exclusive debate programme called The Women's Football Fallout, and expanded digital content including clips and analysis on its website. The move reflects a broader shift away from traditional television towards online platforms, mirroring changes in how audiences consume sport.

Dunn acknowledged the difficulty broadcasters face in catering to both newcomers and long-time followers simultaneously. "It's a tough balance where you've got to explain some context to the new fans without patronising your older fans," she said. "That's something the major broadcasters have not found a solution to yet. If people are willing to take risks on different kinds of women's sports coverage, that's fantastic. But start by choosing one thing and doing it really well — and that's got to be decent match coverage."

Those working within the game have offered a more optimistic view of the changes taking place. Aston Villa's interim manager, Brian Sorensen, who began coaching in Denmark in 2009, said the willingness to experiment reflects genuine progress, even if not every idea succeeds. "A lot of positive things are happening, but there are a lot of new areas that we haven't tried before," he said. "Sometimes it's trial and error and finding the right way for us. From when I started — with the worst live stream you've ever seen — to where we are now, is a very big improvement."

Manchester City manager Andree Jeglertz echoed that sentiment, emphasising the value of simply having greater visibility for the sport. "I think the most important thing is that it is available and that people can see the best players on TV or live," he said. "The more, the better, no matter what."

Tottenham's Martin Ho suggested responsibility also lies with clubs and players to maintain quality on the pitch. "Whatever a broadcast partner decides to do, they have their reasons for it," he said. "All we can control is that we put on a good advert for women's football."

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor struck a balanced tone, suggesting patience was needed before judging new broadcasting approaches. "Anytime you try to do something new, you will please some people and upset others," she said. "Sometimes you need to be patient and analyse as it is too soon to say if something is right or not."

Based on reporting from BBC Sport.