PWHL and Scripps Sports team up to bring Walter Cup Finals to national U.S. broadcast for first time
Rhea-AI Summary
Scripps Sports (NYSE:SSP) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League will televise the PWHL Walter Cup Finals on ION in the United States, with the championship series scheduled for May and official game dates to follow once teams are confirmed.
ION’s distribution reaches 126 million U.S. households, and the league reports a 23% year-over-year increase in average attendance, approaching two million all-time fans.
Positive
- 126 million households potential U.S. reach via ION distribution
- Average attendance +23% YoY, signaling stronger live interest
- League nearing 2 million all-time fans, showing audience growth
- First-ever national U.S. linear broadcast of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals
Negative
- Official game dates not yet released, creating short-term scheduling uncertainty
- No financial terms disclosed for broadcast rights, leaving revenue impact unclear
News Market Reaction – SSP
In the Mar 18 session, SSP declined 6.63%, reflecting a notable negative market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +5.8% during that session. Argus tracked a trough of -3.9% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 17 alerts that day, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12 | Sports partnership | Positive | -2.4% | First-ever nationally televised PWHL game on ION with wide U.S. reach. |
| Mar 11 | Sports coverage plans | Positive | -5.2% | Expanded 2026 NWSL on ION schedule with tripleheaders and studio shows. |
| Mar 04 | Station acquisition | Positive | +5.1% | Agreement to buy WTVQ for $15.8M, creating Lexington duopoly and adding ION deals. |
| Mar 02 | Station sale | Positive | -7.0% | Sale of WFTX for $40M to help pay down debt and optimize portfolio. |
| Feb 25 | Earnings release | Negative | +1.6% | Q4 2025 loss of $44.9M and heavy debt despite transformation plan. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent SSP news, including sports rights and station portfolio moves, often showed price reactions that diverged from the seemingly constructive tone of the announcements, with only one of the last five events clearly aligning with a positive move.
Over the past month, SSP announced several strategic steps. On Feb 25, Q4 2025 results showed $560M revenue and a $44.9M loss, alongside a transformation plan targeting $125–$150M EBITDA improvement by 2028. Since then, SSP completed a $40M station sale, agreed to a $15.8M acquisition, and detailed 2026 NWSL and PWHL broadcast partnerships reaching up to 126M U.S. homes. Despite this, several announcements were followed by negative 24-hour price moves, echoing today’s decline.
Key Terms
linear television technical
over-the-air technical
connected TV technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
ION to telecast Finals in May
CINCINNATI and NEW YORK, March 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In another milestone move for women’s professional sports, Scripps Sports and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will bring the PWHL Walter Cup Finals, presented by Scotiabank, to national linear television for the first time in the United States. Official game dates will be announced once the final teams are confirmed, with the championship series scheduled for May.
Live coverage of the PWHL finals will be available to fans in the United States through ION — accessible over-the-air, via pay TV, connected TV and free streaming platforms. With distribution reaching 126 million U.S. households, ION will deliver the league’s world-class talent and thrilling matchups for one of the largest American audiences in women’s hockey history.
Once the final regular-season standings are confirmed, the PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs will feature two best-of-five semifinals, with the winners advancing to a best-of-five championship series to compete for the Walter Cup. The Minnesota Frost will look to three-peat as the defending back-to-back Walter Cup champions.
Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson said the partnership with PWHL underscores Scripps’ existing commitment to women’s sports through its franchise nights for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
“Coming off the electric energy of the Winter Olympics, where we watched Team USA capture gold in an unforgettable overtime thriller, Americans are hungry for more world-class women’s hockey. Fans shouldn’t have to wait another four years to experience this level of passion, skill and drama, so we’re keeping the momentum going by bringing the PWHL Walter Cup Finals to ION’s massive distribution platform,” said Symson. “At Scripps, we believe women’s sports deserve a national stage, and together with our league partners, we’re building one. We’re proud to add the Professional Women’s Hockey League to the Scripps Sports lineup.”
“The PWHL Walter Cup Finals are built for this kind of stage, and their debut on national television in the U.S. is another meaningful step in making our game easier to find and follow,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations. “Scripps Sports has shown a true commitment to showing up for women’s sports in a tangible way, and this partnership is another example of that in action.”
Scrips Sports, Ally Financial and the PWHL announced on March 12 that ION will air the PWHL Takeover Tour™ game between the New York Sirens and Montréal Victoire in Detroit on Saturday, March 28 — the first PWHL game to air on national linear television in the United States. The pair of national broadcasts highlight the wave of unprecedented momentum for the PWHL. Now in its third season, the league is approaching two million all-time fans and seeing a
Being the first broadcaster to bring the PWHL Walter Cup Finals to a national audience builds on Scripps Sports’ track record as a first mover in women’s professional sports. Since 2023, Scripps has been the first to:
- Create dedicated franchise nights for both the WNBA and the NWSL, giving fans a consistent place to find women’s sports.
- Present weekly national doubleheaders for the WNBA (Friday Nights) and NWSL (Saturday Nights), making it easier than ever to follow the action.
- Launch dedicated studio shows — including pre-game, halftime and post-game — supporting both leagues and telling the stories of their athletes with depth.
ION broadcasts more WNBA games and more NWSL matches than any other national broadcaster. The network’s women’s sports lineup also includes the Major League Volleyball Championship this May, as well as the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off and Athlos 2026 — both slated for later this year.
For more information on how to watch ION, visit iontelevision.com.
Media Contact Information
- Scripps - Jim Weiss - jim.weiss@scripps.com
- PWHL - Press@thepwhl.com
About Scripps Sports
Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports has partnerships with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Major League Volleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS track-and-field, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, Denver Summit FC of the NWSL and the NCAA’s Big Sky Conference. Scripps Sports is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).
About ION
A leading general entertainment and sports network, ION’s lineup features major cable and broadcast shows, original series, live sports and special event programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a diversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of about 60 stations in 40 markets.
About the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. It is comprised of eight teams: Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver. Launched on January 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in Canada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris Poll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social media @thepwhlofficial.
PWHL, the PWHL Logo, and PWHL team names and logos are trademarks of the PWHL. © PWHL 2026 All Rights Reserved.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6518a7b3-ba9a-43c4-8f93-d3bc392e4573
