W-Sport, the dedicated women’s sports TV channel, has launched in the Netherlands on Dutch telecoms operator KPN’s television platform.
The service has gone live on KPN’s basic package, with subscribers able to access W-Sport’s live soccer portfolio including top-tier domestic competitions like England’s Women’s Super League, Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, the US National Women's Soccer League, and Sweden’s Damallsvenskan.
Outside of soccer, W-Sport also shows tennis' Hopman Cup, the UK’s Netball Super League, Extreme E motor racing, and various PAC 12 sports from the American collegiate system.
W-Sport’s content includes live and delayed event coverage as well as magazine programming and documentaries.
The extra channel adds to KPN’s offering, which includes carriage deals with ESPN, Viaplay, and Ziggo Sport.
Jochem de Jong, KPN’s vice president of partnerships, TV, and entertainment, added: “As a proud sponsor of the KNVB, the Dutch National Football team (men and women) and main sponsor of the Eredivisie football, KPN has a warm heart for sport.
“With the launch of W-Sport in the Netherlands, a more diverse range of sports experiences is created and we at KPN can only applaud that.”
The network was initially launched in 2021 by Mickey O’Rourke – also the co-founder and chief executive of the Premier Sports UK and Irish pay-TV channels – alongside Kelly Butler, a former senior vice president at Fox Sports.
Both O’Rourke and Butler also previously worked for the (now non-operational in the UK) pay-TV network Setanta Sports.
Butler, W-Sport chief executive, said: “This is another fantastic step in the evolution of W-Sport. We are delighted to partner with KPN. The placement of the channel on their basic tier package aligns perfectly with our strategy to make top-class women’s sports available to the widest possible audience.
“The development and engagement with women’s sport worldwide continues at pace and our content showcases the athletes and teams that inspire the current and next generation of participants and fans.”
The new carriage deal comes a month after W-Sport launched in Malaysia through Astro, the pay-television operator in the country. Last year, it also launched in 16 territories across sub-Saharan Africa.
