iHeartMedia and Deep Blue expand women’s sports network with new voices
The team iHeartMedia recruited for its women’s sports network has had so many wins that it’s adding a few more players to the roster.
iHeart Women’s Sports, co-founded with Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment and announced last year at Lions of Cannes like the iHeart Women’s Sports Audio Network (WSAN) – adds eight new shows for 2025, featuring athletes including two-time World Cup champion Ashlyn Harris, LPGA champion Mel Reid and WNBA champion Lexie Brown.
The network’s first year included a vibrant roster of talent, including veteran sports anchor Sarah Spain, Basketball Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes and six-time Grand Slam doubles tennis champion Rennae Stubbs.
Now, this year’s lineup will include the following new voices:
Pioneer of motorsport Katherine Legge Golfer and social media star Tisha Alyn Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown and @hoopsforhotties creator Mariah Ros, starting January 22 Ashlyn Harris January 27 Mel Reid and golf presenter Kira Dixon starting February 12 Former professional soccer player and Olympian Melissa Ortiz with bilingual fitness professional and Latin music advocate Camila Ramón in late March Laura Correnti, founder and CEO of Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, in March 2025 Softball player and Gold Glove winner AJ Andrews in March 2025
These additions are just the latest way the network continues to grow.
In its first year, with Capital One, elf Cosmetics and elf Skin as founding brand partners, iHeart Women’s Sports has hosted everything from podcasting events around the Fanatics Sports Summit to the Billie Jean King Cup and championship NWSL. He also provided reporting on women’s sports to more than 500 iHeartMedia broadcast stations across the United States.
Since its launch, iHeart Women’s Sports has quadrupled the coverage of women’s sports on the iHeartMedia broadcast radio network, publishing more than 35,000 women’s sports stories, providing more than 600 hours of content and reaching 75 million fans. The iHeart Women’s Sports podcast network has nearly 3 million downloads since its launch, while the Spanish show’s audience alone grew 130% in November and December compared to the previous two months.
The network’s success helped lead to DraftKings and Nissan also becoming sponsors last year, and the platform shows no signs of slowing down.
According to a survey conducted by iHeartMedia and Disquo Research, the 66% of fans who say “it’s exciting for me to follow women’s sports” has increased by 10% since the channel’s launch, with 80% of adults aged 18 at 34 years old who find women’s sports more attractive. climbing accessible by a similar percentage.
It’s a win for sponsors, with 77% of fans saying: “Brands that support women’s sports are bringing positive change to society.” »
“We launched iHeart Women’s Sports last year to deliver the type of women’s sports coverage that fans have long demanded,” said Jessie Katz, head of iHeart Women’s Sports. “The latest programming leverages the media industry’s most consistent and authentic network of news and commentary on women’s sports.”
