NEW YORK, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and Scripps Sports today announced a national broadcast rights agreement for the 2026-27 season, a landmark partnership that represents the league’s first season-long national television package in the United States bringing PWHL competition to fans throughout the season. With the league expanding to 12 teams for the upcoming campaign, the agreement marks another significant milestone in the PWHL’s continued evolution.
Scripps Sports will produce and televise a featured Saturday “Game of the Week” that will air exclusively in the U.S. on ION, Scripps’ national sports and entertainment network. ION is available over-the-air, across pay television, connected TV platforms and on streaming services, reaching more than 128 million households nationally.
ION also will return as the exclusive U.S. home for the league’s Walter Cup Finals, in addition to airing a Walter Cup Playoff series, continuing to elevate the league’s biggest moments on the national stage. Scripps Sports Network, the free, 24/7 ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel available on The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video, Fire TV, Google TV Freeplay, Tubi and other major streaming platforms, will also broadcast two national PWHL games per week.
The agreement includes Scripps’ local stations in Detroit (WMYD-TV, The Spot – Detroit 20) and Las Vegas (KMCC-TV, The Spot – Vegas 34) becoming the local broadcast partners for the league’s expansion teams in those markets.
“A season-long national television presence in the U.S. is something we’ve been working toward and represents a significant step in our continued growth as a league,” said PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations, Amy Scheer. “Scripps continues to be a committed partner in shining a spotlight on women’s sports, and for the first time, our American fans will have the opportunity to follow the league on national television throughout an entire season, making the PWHL more accessible than ever before.”
Beyond the game broadcasts, Scripps is reinforcing its commitment to promoting the PWHL throughout the season through dedicated marketing support, helping drive awareness of the league, its players and its biggest moments.
“Women’s sports is a cornerstone of our mission to create meaningful connections between communities and the sports and teams they love,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “This partnership further demonstrates ION as the premier destination for women’s sports, where athletes can showcase their talents on the biggest stage and fans can discover their next favorite team.”
Last season, Scripps Sports and ION aired the PWHL’s first-ever game on national linear television in the United States, showcasing the PWHL Takeover Tour™ matchup between the New York Sirens and the Montréal Victoire live on ION. In 2026, ION was also the home of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals, presented by Scotiabank, making live coverage of the PWHL championship series available to millions of U.S. households for the first time.
While the partnership significantly expands the PWHL’s national television presence, every game will continue to stream live on the league’s official YouTube channel and thePWHL.com to fans in the U.S. and worldwide outside of Canada, ensuring the league remains one of the most accessible professional sports properties for fans around the world.
The partnership also reinforces Scripps Sports’ reputation as a trailblazer in women’s professional sports. Since 2023, Scripps has been the first to:
- Establish dedicated weekly national broadcast windows for the WNBA and NWSL, giving fans a consistent destination for live women’s sports coverage.
- Deliver weekly national doubleheaders featuring WNBA games on Friday nights and NWSL matches on Saturday nights.
- Enhance coverage with dedicated studio programming, including pregame, halftime and postgame shows that spotlight the league, athletes and stories shaping each season.
In addition to expanding its PWHL footprint, ION broadcasts more WNBA games and more NWSL matches than any other national broadcaster, and the network’s women’s sports lineup also includes WTGL, the new women’s team golf league created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off and Scripps Sports Women’s College Basketball Showcase – all taking place this fall.
For more information on how to watch ION, visit iontelevision.com.
Media Contact Information
Scripps – Jim Weiss – [email protected]
PWHL – [email protected]
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 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), the Women’s TMRW Golf League (WTGL), Major League Volleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS track-and-field, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Nashville Predators, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, Denver Summit FC of the NWSL and the NCAA’s Big Sky Conference. Scripps Sports is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).
About ION
A leading general entertainment and sports network, ION’s lineup features major cable and broadcast shows, original series, live sports and special event programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a diversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of about 60 stations in 40 markets.
About the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. As of the 2025-26 season, it is comprised of eight teams — Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver — with Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose added as the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th teams ahead of the 2026-27 season. Launched on January 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. The league was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year, and ranked No. 1 in Canada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Harris Poll. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter for the latest updates. Follow the league on social media @thepwhlofficial.
PWHL, the PWHL Logo, and PWHL team names and logos are trademarks of the PWHL. © PWHL 2026 All Rights Reserved.