Without question, the inaugural season of the AUSL was a massive success and the Worldwide Leader in Sports noticed. ESPN and Athletes Unlimited reached a three-year deal today that gets even more eyes on the AUSL. Here, all 47 regular season games will be seen on all ESPN platforms, along with the Championship Series on ABC (50 exclusive game in total in 2026). The network will also air a featured matchup on ABC.
It’s important to note the historical significance as the deal marks the first time professional softball will be on broadcast television. The numbers showed how popular the league was to fans, old and new. Viewership on ESPN grew 88% year‑over‑year on all its networks compared to the 2024 season. What’s more, the Championship Series averaged 230,000 viewers on ESPN.
Season One of the AUSL
This first season saw four teams (Talons, Bandits, Volts, Blaze) play in stadiums across the country familiar to softball fans. Some of the these stadiums included Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kansas, Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.
Additionally, ESPN saw a huge spike in the viewership of this year’s Women’s College World Series between Texas Tech and Texas. In this case, it “averaged 2.2 million viewers across linear networks — the most-watched Finals on record and up 13% from last year’s previous all-time high.”
With over 20 sellouts at stadiums and a large social media uptick, the AUSL will continue to grow with the ESPN partnership.
You can follow me on Twitter. Also, follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more from the world of sports.
