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Supply Not Meeting Demand for Women's Sports in Canada, Study Finds

Keen interest around professional women's sports is at an all-time high. But being able to watch them is the real hurdle.

Supply Not Meeting Demand for Women's Sports in Canada, Study Finds
Billy Eff
By Billy EffOct 29, 2026
Billy Eff

Billy Eff is the Content Director for Rolling Stone Canada. An award-winning journalist and columnist, he has previously contributed to outlets including VICE and Urbania. A passionate advocate for underground music and a musician himself, he has conducted several hundred interviews with artists and industry professionals across a wide range of styles and genres over the past 15 years. He is based in Montréal, Québec.

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Three in four Canadians now consider themselves fans of women’s sports, but finding games and related content remains a major obstacle, according to a new national study by Canadian Women & Sport.

Released earlier this week, the report found that 75% of Canadians identify as fans of women’s sports, up from 67% in 2024. Despite that growth, 62% of fans surveyed said they did not know where to watch professional women’s league games or the associated online content they wanted.

The study was conducted in partnership with research agency IMI International in August 2026, drawing on a representative sample of more than 2,000 Canadians aged 13 to 65.

The findings point to a disconnect between audience demand and the availability of coverage. Respondents estimated that women’s sports account for 30% of sports media coverage, while the report puts their actual share of traditional media coverage between 9% and 21%.

Canadian Women & Sport CEO Allison Sandmeyer-Graves told CBC that the fragmented media landscape makes it difficult for audiences to follow women’s sports, even when they are interested. She said that difficulty finding and accessing games can prevent casual viewers from becoming regular fans who watch games, attend events and purchase merchandise.

The report identifies broadcast partnerships as one way to close that gap. CBC/Radio-Canada plans to feature Professional Women’s Hockey League games during Saturday primetime on Hockey Night in Canada beginning in December. It also has a broadcast agreement with the Northern Super League, Canada’s professional women’s soccer league.

The study also points to commercial opportunities as audiences grow. More than half of respondents said they planned to purchase a sports subscription to watch professional women’s sports over the next year, while 56% intended to buy merchandise.

For its 2026-27 season, the PWHL has expanded to a total of 12 teams, with Hamilton, Detroit, San Jose and Las Vegas joining the league. If finding women's sports to watch on TV is a problem, many hockey fans are complaining that the number of different streaming services one has to subscribe to has gotten ridiculous, with viewers often being hit with regional blackouts of their favourite teams' games.

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