WFTDA Signs Deal to Stream 2015 Championships with ESPN3

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association has signed a contract with ESPN to deliver the final round of the 2015 International WFTDA Championships on ESPN3, making the most anticipated games of the WFTDA season easily accessible to millions of households in the United States. This is the first time flat track roller derby games will be carried live on a national network.

This agreement breaks new ground for flat track roller derby, providing additional exposure to a large sports-viewing audience while maintaining the control over the presentation of the sport that is important to the WFTDA membership. The WFTDA is proud to broker such a high-level contract on behalf of the sport it represents.

"We’re thrilled to work with ESPN3 this year to bring the dynamic athleticism of flat track roller derby to new audiences,” WFTDA Director of Broadcast Erica Vanstone said. “After ten years of the WFTDA bringing the highest level of roller derby competitions to the world, it made sense for us to collaborate with the worldwide leader in sports broadcasting.”

Since 2012, the WFTDA has been presenting high-quality productions and exciting matchups through the organization’s online portal, WFTDA.tv. The WFTDA will produce the ESPN3 content, ensuring that it will showcase the revolutionary athleticism that the WFTDA Championships has to offer.

The Division 1 and 2 Third Place and Championship games will be shown live on ESPN3 Nov. 8. The first two days of the tournament, Nov. 6 and 7, will be available via pay-per-view on WFTDA.tv, as they have been in past years. Viewers outside of the United States will be able to watch the entirety of Championships via WFTDA.tv.

The content will be repeated in ESPN3’s regular schedule. Archives of games will remain on ESPN3’s portal for 30 days after the event, giving viewers even more opportunity to engage with the highest level of roller derby available.

ESPN3 is available via online streaming and the WatchESPN app to anyone whose Internet or cable provider has a contract to carry ESPN. Find out how to access ESPN3.