Scripps Sports builds upon successful first year of NWSL on ION, announces game plans, new studio team for 2025 season

Rhea-AI Summary

Scripps Sports has announced its 2025 season coverage plans for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on ION, following a successful inaugural season that reached over 20 million unique viewers. The network has appointed Seb Salazar and Kylen Mills as new studio co-hosts for their weekly shows.

The 2025 season, starting March 15, will feature 50 matches across 25 weeks of Saturday night doubleheaders. ION's coverage is available in 123 million homes through pay TV, connected TV, and free ad-supported streaming platforms. The first season's highlights included reaching 13.5 million viewers unique to ION, with matches averaging 145,000 viewers and peaking at 234,000 for the Orlando-Kansas City match.

The broadcast team includes JP Dellacamera and Jill Loyden for the first match, with Maura Sheridan and Jordan Angeli covering the second match. The network delivered the largest female percentage audience (57% of P25-54, 55% of P2+) among all networks.

Positive

• Reached over 20.5M total unique viewers in first season
• 50% of all NWSL viewers watched matches on ION
• Averaged 145,000 viewers per game
• 3.6M hours of viewing across free ad-supported television platforms
• Available in 123M homes through multiple platforms

Negative

• None.

Seb Salazar and Kylen Mills join as co-hosts, Coverage kicks off March 15

ATLANTA, March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming off last year's inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on ION – with its broadcasts reaching more than 20 million total unique viewers* –Scripps Sports today unveiled production plans and a new studio team for the network's 2025 season coverage, which kicks off March 15. Promo here.

The NWSL on ION showcases top matches from across the league every Saturday night of the regular season. ION is one of the most-watched networks on television and is available on pay TV, connected TV and free, ad-supported streaming platforms and over-the-air in 123 million homes.

In The Studio
NWSL on ION studio shows – the first-ever weekly studio shows dedicated to the NWSL by any broadcast network – break down the matches and review highlights from recent matches, spotlight upcoming league games and present in-depth, off-the-pitch feature stories on players, coaches and teams from around the league.

For the coming season, Seb Salazar and Kylen Mills will serve as co-hosts. Salazar adds ION duties to his impressive work with ESPN, where he regularly appears on ESPN FC, the company's signature soccer program. He has also co-hosted the popular biweekly Fútbol Americas show on ESPN+. Mills, a former college soccer standout, is an Emmy-nominated sports broadcaster with a resume of on-air work across FOX Sports, NBC Sports, The Big Ten Network and Pac-12 Networks.

"Seb Salazar is an exceptional talent in soccer reporting, bringing a wealth of experience and deep-rooted passion for the game," said Brian Lawlor, president, Scripps Sports. "His work on ESPN and his insightful commentary on Fútbol Americas have made him a trusted voice and a household name among soccer fans. Kylen Mills is a distinguished sportscaster whose extensive on-air analyst experience and deep understanding of soccer from her own time on the pitch make her an invaluable addition to our team. We are delighted to have Seb and Kylen at the helm of our NWSL on ION studio show this season and eagerly anticipate the outstanding coverage and analysis they will bring to viewers."

The Scripps Sports production team is led by Quinn Pacini, vice president of broadcast operations. Nicole Denne, a veteran producer, serves as executive producer for the NWSL on ION's studio content. This year, Taylor Quellman joins as studio show producer. Quellman has been serving as the pre- and post-game producer for Scripps Sports' coverage of Vegas Golden Knights hockey, as well as holding the same role for the San Diego Padres.

In The Booth
Scripps Sports and the NWSL will again co-produce the Saturday night doubleheaders, with two distinct NWSL on ION match broadcast teams – both of which are returning for the network's second season. The team for match one features JP Dellacamera on play-by-play with former U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper Jill Loyden as analyst. For match two, Maura Sheridan will take the mic for play-by-play duties while former NWSL player Jordan Angeli will serve as analyst.

"In our first season of coverage, ION quickly became a popular home for the NWSL," said Pacini. "We are picking up where we left off with a robust and experienced broadcast team, and we look forward to another great season for NWSL fans across the country."

On The Pitch
The NWSL on ION will feature 50 matches across 25 weeks of its Saturday night doubleheaders. The first doubleheader of the season is set for March 15, with 2024 rookie sensation Ally Sentnor and the Utah Royals FC hosting Zambian standout Racheal Kundananji and Bay FC (7:30 p.m. ET), followed by USWNT veteran Rose Lavelle and Gotham FC traveling to Seattle to face former teammate and the NWSL's all-time leading scorer Reign FC forward Lynn (Williams) Biyendolo (10 p.m. ET).

Other highlights of the NWSL on ION 2025 schedule include:

• A rematch of the 2024 Championship as Orlando takes on Washington on April 19, featuring Marta, Barbra Banda, Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune.
• Special tripleheader coverage as Angel City, Chicago and Kansas City host matches on Saturday, June 14, starting at 5 p.m. ET.
• Rivalry matches Bay FC vs. Angel City (May 17), San Diego vs. Angel City (Aug. 9), Portland vs. Kansas City (Aug. 23), Kansas City vs. Gotham FC (Oct. 10) and more.

To access the complete NWSL on ION season schedule, and find ION channel information, visit https://ionnwsl.com/.

Highlights of NWSL on ION season one:

• In addition to reaching more than 20.5 million total unique viewers, NWSL on ION reached 13.5 million viewers unique to ION.
• ION delivered the largest female percentage audience of any network (57% of the P25-54 audience, 55% of the P2+ audience).
• 50% of all NWSL viewers watched matches on ION, the highest percentage of all linear broadcast partners.
• Matches drew an average audience of 145,000 P2+ per game with a high of 234,000 on July 6 for the Orlando-Kansas City match.
• NWSL matches on ION delivered more than 3.6 million hours of viewing across free ad-supported television (FAST) channels, including Roku, Samsung TV, LG, Vizio, Dumo, Plex, Amazon Fire TV Channels, Pluto, CW and Tablo.

Follow @IONNWSL on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for future updates.

*Sources for data: Nielsen L+SD national panel one-minute qualifier for reach. Data for NWSL+, Prime Video and Paramount+ is not available.

Scripps media contact: Jim Weiss, (770) 722-2142, Jim.Weiss@scripps.com
NWSL media contact: Jennifer Levine, (917) 921-7806, jlevine@nwslsoccer.com

About ION
A leading general entertainment network, ION's lineup features major cable and broadcast shows, original series and special event programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a diversified media company focused on creating a better-informed world. As one of the nation's largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of 61 stations in 41 markets. The Scripps Networks reach nearly every American through the popular brands ION, ION Mystery, ION Plus, Court TV, Bounce, Grit and Laff. Scripps is the nation's largest holder of broadcast spectrum. Scripps runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C. and is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way."

About Scripps Sports
Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports currently has partnerships with the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the new Utah Hockey Club and the NCAA's Big Sky Conference. Scripps Sports is a division of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a Fortune 1000 American media company.

About the NWSL
The National Women's Soccer League is the premier women's professional soccer league in the world featuring national team players from around the globe. The clubs are Angel City FC, Bay FC, Bos Nation FC, Chicago Stars FC, Denver NWSL, Houston Dash, Kansas City Current, Gotham FC, North Carolina Courage, Seattle Reign FC, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns FC, Racing Louisville FC, San Diego Wave FC, Utah Royals FC, and Washington Spirit.

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SOURCE SCRIPPS

FAQ

What are the viewership numbers for NWSL on ION's first season?

The inaugural season reached over 20.5 million total unique viewers, with 13.5 million viewers unique to ION and an average audience of 145,000 viewers per game.

When does the 2025 NWSL season begin on ION?

The 2025 NWSL season on ION kicks off March 15 with Utah Royals FC vs Bay FC, followed by Gotham FC vs Reign FC.

How many NWSL matches will ION broadcast in 2025?

ION will broadcast 50 matches across 25 weeks of Saturday night doubleheaders during the 2025 season.

Who are the new studio hosts for NWSL on ION in 2025?

Seb Salazar from ESPN and Emmy-nominated sports broadcaster Kylen Mills will serve as co-hosts for the 2025 season.