Sky Sports has agreed a new multi-year partnership with England Netball to continue broadcasting live and exclusive coverage of the Vitality Netball Superleague.
Every match of the 2021 Netball Superleague season will be broadcast across Sky Sports and England Netball platforms, starting on February 12.
The new agreement promises to give the competition its greatest visibility to date and aims to build upon the momentum and audience growth that netball has enjoyed in recent years.
Featuring 11 teams with the addition of newcomers Leeds Rhinos, the 2021 Netball Superleague season is set to be the most competitive and exciting yet.
It will feature some big-name signings from across the world of netball, all ready to showcase their skills on court and make their mark on the competition as the domestic game returns on home soil.
Fans will be able to follow their team from start to finish, with all matches being available across Sky Sports TV channels – Sky Sports Arena & Sky Sports Mix – as well as on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel or England Netball’s YouTube channel.
Commenting on the new deal, Rob Webster, Sky Sports managing director said:
“Sky Sports has been a long-term partner of netball since 2006. We are delighted to be expanding upon our existing deal to bring the thrill of the game to our audiences for years to come.
“Popularity for the sport has increased in recent years as viewing figures saw 550,000 people tune in to watch England’s Vitality Roses in 2019’s thrilling Netball World Cup semi-final.
“At Sky Sports our goal is always to be the best partner to sport and we hope by working together we can help netball continue to grow in future.”
Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball, said:
“We were delighted to bring elite netball back to the court during our recent Vitality Netball Legends Series, which saw the Vitality Roses play an international All Stars side made up of talent from the Vitality Netball Superleague, and we cannot wait to continue that momentum and give our netball family something to look forward to.
“This partnership is a huge milestone for netball in this country and underlines the continued interest in our sport. The increased visibility this will bring will shine a light on the incredible role models in our game and help to inspire a nation of women and girls to take to the court.
“I am very much looking forward to our ongoing relationship with Sky Sports and hope to see more netball history made together in the coming years.”
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, the season will be played behind closed doors across two venues – Studio 001 in Wakefield and the Copper Box Arena in London.
Steve Elworthy, independent chair of the Vitality Netball Superleague, added:
“As part of our partnership, Sky will broadcast more Vitality Netball Superleague games in 2021 than ever before, covering all 114 matches across the season in some format, helping to drive exposure of the league and directly benefiting our clubs and the wider netball community.
“Despite the league being played behind closed doors, the Sky partnership will enable us to not only increase visibility but also engage with new audiences – something we are all very excited about.
“Their coverage of the league is vital for the return of women’s sport in 2021 and the visibility of netball and marks a very important and groundbreaking moment for our game.”
Sky Sports will continue to be the home of live Vitality Netball Superleague action. The 2021 season starts on 12 February with a 10-match weekend of netball.
Watch every contest across Sky Sports, the Sky Sports YouTube channel or England Netball’s YouTube channel.
For more information about the Vitality Superleague, including a full list of 2021 fixtures and results, visit the England Netball website.
