ESPN is officially the home of professional lacrosse after reaching a four-year broadcasting rights deal with the Premier Lacrosse League. PLL games will air exclusively across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+, with all 47 games available to stream on ESPN+.
More details, including game times, will be announced at a later date. The League’s fourth season is scheduled to begin on June 4, 2022, playing 47 games across 13 U.S. cities, including All-Star, Playoffs, and Championship Weekend on Sept. 17, 2022.
“We’re thrilled to announce our new agreement with ESPN,” said co-founder and president, Paul Rabil. “It’s a testament to our gameday experience, the business teams at the PLL, growing interest level and engagement of a global lacrosse audience, as well as ESPN’s foresight and meaningful investment into a game that’s indigenous to North America – one of the fastest-growing in the US today.”
PLL started in 2019 as an “alternative” professional lacrosse league spearheaded by brothers Paul and Mike Rabil and quickly became the top league in the country, absorbing its main competition in Major League Lacrosse and standing alone at the top of professional men’s outdoor lacrosse.
Rather than having teams in individual cities, the eight PLL teams travel together to various stadiums across America and play a series of games in one location. As for its broadcasting rights, PLL last season had a deal with NBC and Peacock, but the league obviously thought ESPN was a better choice, especially as viewership for the league continues to grow.
“Year-over-year PLL viewership has shown consistent growth, setting record numbers for pro lacrosse across broadcast and streaming platforms,” said Mike Rabil, co-founder and CEO of the PLL. “We’re excited to work together with ESPN to bring even more eyeballs to the sport of lacrosse.”
ESPN regularly airs college lacrosse on ESPNU and also owns the broadcasting rights to the NLL, the premier professional men’s indoor lacrosse league.
“This agreement further cements leadership for ESPN in what is clearly a growth sport,” said Burke Magnus, president of ESPN programming and original content. “Between professional, college, and high school, ESPN is the home for lacrosse. The massive reach we will bring across our leading streaming and linear platforms – ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+ is the cornerstone of this innovative deal with PLL, creating many opportunities to super-serve all lacrosse fans.”
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