Sky Sports have announced a new pop-up channel, “Sky Sports Netball”, which will air over 250 hours of coverage from the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool.
In a UK first, Sky Sports will broadcast and live stream every match from the tournament which starts on 12th July, meaning the whole nation can get behind Tracey Neville’s Roses, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Ahead of the squad announcement, England Netball Head Coach Tracey Neville said; “The support of Sky Sports over the years has been paramount in growing the game. I’m pleased the World Cup has a great home on Sky’s channels and I’m even more pleased that the younger fans can access every game through their online platforms.”
Sky Sports Mix will become Sky Sports Netball from 12th July, showing all 60 matches from the World Cup. England’s bid for victory begins on the 12th July, with their first three games (Uganda, Scotland and Samoa) shown exclusively live on Sky Sports Netball.
Sky Sports Netball is the first channel of its kind to solely dedicate every minute of coverage to women’s sport and will show over 250 hours of coverage, original content and masterclasses throughout the tournament.
Sky Sports Managing Director Rob Webster said; “All eyes will be on the Netball World Cup this summer. Since our first netball broadcast in 2004, we’ve seen the sport go from strength to strength, and now 15 years on, England are heading into a World Cup as one of the favourites.
“We’re so excited to see the sport continue to grow and attract new fans and look forward to bringing the drama and excitement to life on screen and online. Our decision to live stream every game means everyone, across all different platforms and devices can follow England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the other 13 teams competing in Liverpool for the biggest prize. We can’t wait for it to start.”
Bringing you the best build-up, live action and post-match analysis will be the Sky Sports presentation team including; ex-England Captain Tamsin Greenway, Bronze Commonwealth Games champion Pamela Cookey, ex-England International Camilla Buchanan and Director of Surrey Storm Mikki Austin.
Broadcasters Di Dougherty, Gail Davis and Hannah Wilkes also front the team, along with Northern Ireland Head Coach Dan Ryan. Expert commentary will come from Caroline Barker, Katharine Merry, Jenny Woods and Rupert Cox.
Sky Sports Mix is available to all Sky TV customers, as well as on selected Virgin Media packages, providing a significant reach for a selection of the live sport available on Sky Sports at no extra cost.