COOLANGATTA, Queensland /AUS (Tuesday, December 12, 2023) - The World Surf League (WSL) and the Seven Network have today announced they will extend their partnership for a fifth consecutive year into the 2024 season. The Seven Network will continue as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the WSL in Australia, with all the action kicking off at the world-famous Pipe Pro this January.
The partnership extension will see all WSL Championship Tour events and Australian Challenger Series events broadcast live on 7plus, as well as the WSL Finals being broadcast live on a Seven free-to-air channel. 2024 will also see the continuation of the Bells Beach Longboard Classic on 7plus programming, with the event likewise going live and on demand.
"WSL is thrilled to continue our partnership with the Seven Network into 2024," said Andrew Stark, President of WSL APAC. "Seeing WSL events alongside all of the other sports on Seven's programming is fantastic, not to mention the cross-promotional opportunities on offer when working with the home of sport in Australia."
Along with the live events, surf fans will be able to access hours of WSL content on-demand, with WSL event highlight shows and other offerings continuing to live on 7plus.
Head of Network Sport and Managing Director Seven Melbourne, Lewis Martin, said: "Surfing is part of the fabric of Australian culture and we're rapt to extend our partnership with the World Surf League. We can't wait to ride the wave with Australia's emerging superstars and salute the icons of the sport, including our very own Steph Gilmore and a swag of other homegrown title hopefuls, as they compete in the world's best events over the next year - all live and free on Seven and 7plus, Australia's Home of Sport."
Seven's coverage of the World Surf League will commence on the 29th of January, 2024, when the world's best return to Hawaii for Stop 1 of the Championship Tour, the Pipe Pro.