Key Points
- Scripps will air the PWHL Walter Cup Finals on Ion, marking the league’s first U.S. national broadcast.
- The games will reach more than 126 million households across broadcast, pay TV and free streaming platforms.
- The deal expands Ion’s growing lineup of women’s sports programming, including WNBA and NWSL coverage.
The E. W. Scripps Company has struck a deal with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) to bring its championship series to free broadcast and streaming television for the first time.
In May, the PWHL Walter Cup Finals will air and stream on Ion Television, with specific games to be determined at a later date. Ion reaches more than 126 million American households through its availability on broadcast TV, cable, satellite and free streaming platforms.
Scripps President and Chief Executive Officer Adam Symson said the agreement builds on the company’s broader strategy to expand the reach of women’s professional sports on national television.
“Coming off the electric energy of the Winter Olympics, where we watched Team USA capture gold in an unforgettable overtime thriller, Americans are hungry for more world-class women’s hockey,” Symson said. “Fans shouldn’t have to wait another four years to experience this level of passion, skill and drama, so we’re keeping the momentum going by bringing the PWHL Walter Cup Finals to ION’s massive distribution platform.”
Symson added that the partnership aligns with Scripps’ existing investments in women’s sports, including regular national broadcasts of Women’s National Basketball Association and National Women’s Soccer League games.
Amy Scheer, the Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the PWHL, said the national broadcast represents a key milestone for the league’s visibility and accessibility.
“The PWHL Walter Cup Finals are built for this kind of stage, and their debut on national television in the U.S. is another meaningful step in making our game easier to find and follow,” Scheer said. “Scripps Sports has shown a true commitment to showing up for women’s sports in a tangible way, and this partnership is another example of that in action.”
The finals broadcast follows an earlier agreement announced March 12, in which Ion will air a regular-season “Takeover Tour” game between the New York Sirens and Montréal Victoire on March 28. That telecast will mark the first PWHL game to air nationally on linear television in the United States.
The league, now in its third season, is experiencing continued growth: The PWHL said it is approaching 2 million total fans and has recorded a 23 percent year-over-year increase in average attendance.
For Scripps, the addition of the PWHL finals further expands Ion’s portfolio of women’s sports programming. The network already carries more Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) games than any other national broadcaster, and is slated to air additional events this year, including the Major League Volleyball Championship, the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off and Athlos 2026.
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