Atalanta Media Launches with Landmark NBC Sports and FA Women's Super League Partnerships to Include 50 Matches This Season

MIAMI, Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 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, September 6.

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."

About Atalanta Media

Atalanta Media facilitates access to the very best women's football for fans, broadcasters, sponsors and publishers. Our broad partnerships with premium distributors, combined with unparalleled grassroots and elite player engagement, accelerate growth and drive value for everyone connected with the game. Everything we do helps to create a virtuous cycle of investment and improvement that enables women's football to shine its brightest – now and for generations of young female footballers to come. For more information, visit www.atafootball.com.

About NBC Sports Group:

NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, GOLF Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Audio Network and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine, and a direct-to-consumer product NBC Sports Gold. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of media rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.

About DAZN Group  

DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK and with 2,800 employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports; from production, through to content distribution and commercialization. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the leading global sport streaming service. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN provides affordable access on connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is live in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S. Visit https://media.dazn.com.

SOURCE Atalanta Media