Sports Media Report
Atalanta Media, a women’s football company with a mission to elevate the game globally through a fundamental shift in media rights distribution and a consumer platform that connects content, players and fans, launched today with history-making partnerships with the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) and NBC Sports. The company’s launch represents a watershed moment for women’s football, led by the U.S. television debut of the FA WSL on NBC Sports Network this Sunday.
Atalanta Media was founded by former professional player, collegiate coach and sports marketer, Esmeralda Negron, and ex-Sky media rights executive Hannah Brown, to accelerate access to the very best women’s football for fans, broadcasters, sponsors and publishers. “The quality of play and opportunity for women’s football globally has never been greater, but broad distribution and coverage lags outside worldwide events,” remarked Negron. “Atalanta Media is here to provide the year-round exposure and commercialization necessary for women’s football to fulfill its potential.”
This weekend marks a huge step towards realizing that vision, as NBC Sports brings the FA WSL to U.S. televisions for the first time. Over the course of this season, NBC Sports will present 50 FA WSL matches across the NBC Sports Network, the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com, reaching nearly 85M homes. NBC will offer more than a dozen televised matches on NBCSN, including Manchester United facing defending champions Chelsea at noon ET on Sunday, September 6. Manchester City and Aston Villa square off on Saturday, September 5, with live coverage on the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com
“We’re excited to partner with Atalanta Media to present the first U.S. telecast of the FA WSL,” said Jon Miller, President of Programming at NBC Sports. “Our opening weekend features the game’s biggest international women’s stars, and the visibility we’ll provide over the course of the season will help advance the game.”
The start of the FA WSL season will also be streamed on global sport streaming service, DAZN, in Germany and Italy. DAZN will stream 44 FA WSL fixtures, live and on-demand throughout the season. Atalanta Media will bring content from its distribution partners, as well as players and influencers, to life via the Ata Football brand. AtaFootball.com will provide young girls and fans a digital platform and destination to view matches, discover highlights, and engage in unique opportunities associated with the game.
Atalanta Media is supported with seed capital and technology resources by Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners. It joins their growing portfolio of media and sports entertainment properties which includes OTT-as-a-service company Nunchee, who will provide the tech backbone and platform for the Ata Football community. Nunchee also supports Fanatiz, an OTT sports streaming platform set to join the list of Atalanta Media partners fostering broader distribution of women’s football.
Firm Principal Juan Arciniegas expressed 777 Partners’ enthusiasm about the Atalanta brand and its broader goals. “We are energized to team with two amazing female founders and further their mission to propel women’s football to new heights. By connecting them with complementary partners in our portfolio who are deeply embedded in the game, we can help accelerate their vision to reality.”
