ESPN has a few Sunday night spring/summer windows to fill now that MLB is no longer there, and the network announced it will be putting higher-profile WNBA and NWSL games on many of those Sunday night slots. It’s a big positive for women’s sports, and reflects what ION has been doing for years now with the WNBA and NWSL on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively (dedicated windows for both). But while a good WNBA game may be able to match a normal “Sunday Night Baseball” audience, don’t expect any NWSL game to hit that sort of number.
Netflix is getting into the live MMA space with a matchup that seems to resemble something closer to a celebrity boxing match or Alex Honnold’s recent tower climb vs. a serious sporting event. The Netflix MMA foray will feature Ronda Rousey against Gina Carano on May 16, and the truth is neither has fought in a long, long time. But Netflix certainly loves big events, and this will qualify. I wouldn’t expect this fight to be Nielsen-measured, either.
