The Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC) and streaming platform VYRE Network entered into a multi-year contract in 2021 to stream all of the league games for the 2022 season.
VYRE recently reported that viewership increased by 475% over 2021 when games were only streamed on the WNFC website.
The first week had the highest viewership numbers of the season, with VYRE logging 363,513 impressions that week.
Impressions are times when live stream content is broadcast on a user’s screen. Impressions do not necessarily indicate that the individual watched any or all of the game but are a valuable metric for analyzing the success of content.
The streaming service stated that 634,639 different users streamed WNFC games in the 2022 season. Impressions averaged 189,746 each week through 10 weeks of gameplay.
VYRE entered into a five-year agreement with the WNFC after streaming the IX Cup Championship Game in 2021. That contest featured the Texas Elite Spartans against the San Diego Rebellion and drew more than 21,000 viewers.
It also streamed the 2022 IX Cup Championship Game that again featured the Elite Spartans, this time against the Utah Falconz. VYRE stated viewership tripled in 2022, with 77,500 viewers in 16 countries tuning in to watch the Elite Spartans secure their third-straight IX Cup.
“VYRE sees the value of women’s sports content and the WNFC movement,” the streaming network stated in a press release. “VYRE has partnered with WNFC to bring women’s tackle football to the global stage. WNFC continues to be in high demand, and VYRE is looking forward to expanding coverage of WNFC content.”
The success the streaming network experienced with WNFC games has led it to stream other sports content, including the BIG3 draft this season, along with select games.
The BIG3 is a fifth-year league featuring 3-on-3 basketball, founded by former rapper and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Kwatinetz. The BIG3 2022 season tipped off on June 18.
“We are so excited to have VYRE join the BIG3 family,” said BIG3 CEO Chris Hannan in a statement. “We are thrilled to be partnering with a platform that offers a free-to-download and watch frictionless platform. With VYRE cofounders David and Lamar, we found a like-minded partner with a growing business that shares our vision for reaching diverse audiences.”
Women’s tackle football has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports over the last decade. Interest in football by women has also increased, with the NFL recently reporting that nearly half of all viewers are female.
Variations of the game, including flag football, are also having a moment. Team USA fielded both men’s and women’s flag football teams this year at the 2022 World Games, with support from the NFL.
U.S. teams also compete at the international level. Since 2010, the International Federation for American Football (IFAF) has organized the Women’s Tackle World Championship. The U.S. team features over 50 WNFC players, including Texas Elite Spartans QB Brittany Bushman and head coach Odessa Jenkins.
VYRE stated that increased viewership due to users streaming WNFC content led to new advertising deals with Square, Genius GV70 2022, Stella Rose, Priceline.com, Estrella Jalisco Beer, and Opendoor.com.
