Equal Play, Equal Airtime: The Case for Media Reform in Women’s Sport

1 May

In the summer of 2023, the Matildas brought sporting fans together like never before. The atmosphere during the FIFA Women’s World Cup was electric – not just in stadiums, but in homes, pubs, and public spaces across the country. There was a genuine sense of national excitement as crowds gathered to support the Matildas.

Their semi-final match against England made television history. It became the most-watched program in Australia since 2001 – not just in sport, but across all categories. Channel 7 reported that the match reached 11.15 million Australians [1] and averaged an audience of 7.13 million [2]. These figures emulate a strong message – people were watching and people care deeply about women’s sports.

Yet despite the overwhelming display of celebration and support, the momentum of that historic summer has not translated into systemic change. Women’s sport continues to face significant barriers to equal representation in mainstream media.

What Does the Data Say?

Research conducted by Change Our Game examined Victorian sports media coverage from July 2022 to May 2023, analysing over 34,600 pieces of sports news content.[3]

The findings were stark:

Only 15% of sports news coverage focused on women’s sport, compared to 81% on men’s sport
Women’s sports stories received significantly less in-depth coverage and analysis
Women journalists were 62% more likely than their male counterparts to report on women’s sports
Although coverage increased from 15% to 20% in 2023-4, the pace of progress is gradual, but slow [4]

Why Media Representation Matters

The media plays a pivotal role in shaping public perception of women’s sports and in opening doors for athletes. Coverage not only legitimises women’s sporting achievements but also drives visibility, funding, and community engagement – shaping the narrative around women’s sports.

Sponsorship: The Financial Impact of Being Invisible

A report by the Victorian Government’s Office for Women in Sport and Recreation estimated that women’s sport will deliver $49 billion in customer value over the next 15 years. [5] Despite this enormous economic potential, the commercial reality does not reflect this, and women’s sports remains underfunded and under commercialised.

A lack of exposure results in fewer sponsorship deals for female athletes. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle: limited airtime leads to diminished commercial interest, which then justifies the continued marginalisation of women’s sports in media programming.

This creates an additional barrier for the commercial viability of female athletes, as media attention is important in driving their earnings. As a result, many elite female athletes in Australia go overseas where sponsorship and income opportunities are more viable. [6]

An additional barrier women athletes face is the way sponsorship funding is typically allocated. Much of it goes towards long-term infrastructure and development. [7] While this is imperative for sustainability, it is insufficient to support the day-to-day financial need of athletes themselves. Without equal coverage, women’s sports cannot fully showcase its value or attract the commercial investment it deserves.

Narratives and Stereotypes: How Women Athletes Are Portrayed

There is a big disparity in the narrative and story telling around women and male athletes, which contributes to the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes and reinforces outdated gender norms.

Media analysis by Change our Game, showed women athletes in Australia predominantly described as ‘quiet achievers’, ‘hard workers’ and as ‘punching above their weight’. [8]

These findings support previous studies in media analysis that show that women are associated with communal traits (supportiveness, warmth, expression) while men are linked with agency (assertiveness, competitiveness and skill). [9]

When coverage emphasises personality over performance, it diminishes women athlete’s perceived legitimacy and professional standing. These portrayals can have direct impacts on participation rates, community support and cultural attitudes toward women’s sports.

This demonstrates a need to not only make coverage more equal, but to ensure the narratives we share accurately reflect the skills and talent of athletes.

Current Legal Framework and the Case for Reform:

At present, no legislation in Australia mandates equal coverage of women’s sports. The regulatory framework governing media includes a combination of statutory law and industry codes:

Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cth) [10]: This Act regulates Australian broadcasting services, including television, radio and online content. It addresses issues such as media ownership, content standards, and classification.
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA): ACMA is the key regulator, responsible for enforcing compliance and developing industry codes of practice.

Despite its broad powers, the Broadcasting Services Act currently lacks provisions addressing gender equity in sports coverage.

Proposed Amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act:

Although progress is being made toward greater equality in women’s sport, I believe an amendment to the Broadcasting Services Act is necessary to mandate equitable coverage and ensure fairer representation.

I propose the following options to promote greater equity in sports.

Licence-condition powers (Part 4, Division 3, section 44(2))

Current Provision: ACMA may impose license conditions ‘relevant to broadcasting services’,
Proposed Addition: Insert a clause requiring licensees to ensure a minimum share of women’s sports content
Example: ‘(c) requiring a licensee to ensure that no less than 40% of its sports-programming during peak viewing times is dedicated to women’s sport.’

Program-standards power (Part 9, section 122(2))

Current Limitation: ACMA’s standard-setting powers are restricted to children’s programming and Australian content.
Proposed Addition: Expand this power to allow ACMA express authority to determine binding quotas or benchmarks for women’s sports coverage
Example:, ‘(c) equitable coverage of women’s sports by commercial television broadcasting licensees.’

Objects of the Act (Part 1, section 3):

Current Provision: Section 3(1)(g) aims to promote fair and accurate coverage of matters of public interest and already encourages the ‘fair and accurate coverage of matters of public interest ‘
Proposed Amendment: Add reference to gender equity in sports broadcasting
Example: ‘(g) to promote the fair, accurate and equitable coverage of matters of public interest, including the promotion of gender equity in sports coverage.’

Conclusion: Telling the Full Story

By shining a brighter spotlight on women’s sport, we can reshape public perception, celebrate world-class athleticism, and inspire the next generation of athletes. Equitable coverage is more than a fairness issue – it enhances our cultural narratives, creates commercial growth, and builds stronger communities.

Journalists, broadcasters, and social media creators should ask themselves: Whose stories are we missing?

By consciously diversifying our coverage through balancing airtime, headlines, and intentional storytelling, we can ensure women’s sport receives the visibility, respect, and investment it deserves.

Let’s commit to telling every story—on every field, court, and track—with the passion and equity that true champions deserve.

References:

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/17/matildas-re-write-history-books-as-semi-final-smashes-tv-ratings-records

[2] https://www.sevenwestmedia.com.au/assets/pdfs/Matildas-v-England-smashes-viewing-records.pdf

[3] https://changeourgame.vic.gov.au/insights/the-conversation-of-sport-representation-of-women-in-sports-news-coverage

[4] https://changeourgame.vic.gov.au/insights/the-conversation-of-sport-2023-24

[5] https://www.forbes.com.au/news/sport/the-49-billion-aussie-sports-opportunity-that-brands-are-sidelining/

[6] https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/stop-seeing-womens-sports-as-an-afterthought-the-commercial-failure-to-our-female-athletes/#:~:text=Research%20reveals%20that%20Australia's%20women's,the%20scale%20of%20this%20issue.

[7] Ibid

[8] https://changeourgame.vic.gov.au/insights/the-conversation-of-sport-representation-of-women-in-sports-news-coverage

[9] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10218532/

[10] Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cth)