Premier Lacrosse League announces new five year media rights deal with ESPN. Deal includes PLL and WLL games, and makes ESPN a minority investor in the league.

The Premier Lacrosse League has announced a new media rights deal with ESPN. The deal runs for five years. ESPN will present the PLL regular season, All-Star, Playoff and Championship Games. In a new addition to this deal, ESPN will also present Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League games. 

The PLL’s first media rights deal was with NBC. Games were shown on NBC and streamed on Peacock for the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons. The PLL signed a four year media rights deal with ESPN in 2022, at the time reportedly with an eight figure rights fee. That deal expires at the end of this season, and this newly announced deal will begin with the 2026 season. 

A notable clause for this new deal is that ESPN is making a minority equity investment in the PLL. This is not commonplace in the sports landscape, but represents an opportunity for ESPN to reap additional benefits should the new deal significantly boost PLL growth. CNBC has reported that ESPN will have a 3% stake.

The exact terms of the new deal are not yet publicly available. However, media rights deals are the backbone of a growing and healthy pro sports league. A new five year deal is a positive sign for the future; however the rights fee also needs to significantly increase for the deal to be considered a major stride forward.

In September of last year at the PLL Awards Dinner, Mike and Paul Rabil spoke at length about near term goals for the PLL. This included schedule expansion into the spring, and increasing player compensation by a large enough measure that players could live in their team’s market. A large rights fee leads to increased player compensation; the two can directly correlate. Expanded schedule also would increase player compensation just in terms of opportunities to play. More games on the schedule would mean more game checks. Pushing into the spring would allow the PLL to completely avoid the NFL season, and the viewership the challenges that come with playing on an NFL Sunday. However, expanding into the spring comes with the challenging overlap with the NLL season, and potential conflicts for PLL players who also coach college teams that would be playing at the same time. At the awards dinner, Mike Rabil did hint that players may be asked to choose a pro league to be a part of, and that could happen in the near future with an expanded schedule. 

Expect the new media deal to bolster efforts to increase player compensation and expand the schedule. Expansion, however, likely is not immediately on the table. Also at the Awards Dinner last September, Paul noted just how much of a priority is to get current players full time wages, and how it’s important to do it from league revenue. With that as the stated goal, adding more teams only makes it more difficult to get players full time.

PLL viewership on linear is slightly down from last year in the early going of the season, though the most watched game of the weekend was just played in Baltimore between the Archers and Outlaws.

Read the Full Release:

ESPN Signs New Five-Year Media Rights Agreement and Expands Relationship with Premier Lacrosse League

ESPN will present Premier Lacrosse League regular season, All-Star, Playoff and Championship games, as well as Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League games

(NEW YORK, June 25, 2025) ESPN and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster have renewed a five-year media rights agreement that will span ESPN platforms. The deal begins with the 2026 season and encompasses all Premier Lacrosse League regular season, All-Star, Playoff and Championship games, Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League games, as well as future PLL and WLL Drafts.

Alongside the multi-year agreement, ESPN has also made a minority equity investment in the PLL, recognizing significant growth potential in the PLL’s forward-thinking approach and commitment to innovation.

“This partnership marks a historic moment for the PLL and WLL. ESPN’s renewed commitment, along with their investment, speaks volumes about the future of lacrosse," said PLL Co-Founder and President, Paul Rabil. "Together, we’re not only bringing the best in professional lacrosse to more fans, more often, but we’re building a model for how modern sports leagues can grow – with equity, innovation, and access at the center."

“This renewed partnership with ESPN is a major milestone for the continued rise of both the PLL and WLL,” said Mike Rabil, Co-Founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League. “It underscores the momentum behind both our men’s and women’s leagues and the demand from a growing, passionate fanbase — unlocking new opportunities for our players, partners, and fans alike.”

All PLL and WLL games will stream on ESPN+, with select games also presented across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. 

Rosalyn Durant, Executive Vice President, ESPN Programming & Acquisitions, said: “We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with the Premier Lacrosse League and expand our commitment to the ascendant sport by bringing the recently launched Women’s Lacrosse League to ESPN. This renewal reflects our dedication to showcasing the best in lacrosse, growing the game across all levels, and delivering world-class competition to fans year-round.”

The 2025 PLL television schedule is available here.

Additional details on international distribution will be announced forthcoming.

About Premier Lacrosse League

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster is a men’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of eight teams rostered by the best players in the world. Co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil, the PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The PLL is distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. The PLL was named 2023 Best Place to Work in Sports, and 2020 Sports Breakthrough by the Sports Business Journal, and recognized as a 2021 Best Employer in Sports by  Front Office Sports. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com and follow on social media: Instagram (@PLL), Twitter (@PremierLacrosse), Facebook (@PremierLacrosseLeague), YouTube (YouTube.com/PLL) and TikTok (@pll).

About the Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League

The Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) is a women’s professional lacrosse league in North America, composed of four teams rostered by the best players in the world. Launched in November 2024 by the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), the WLL represents the league’s biggest investment in women’s lacrosse to date. The PLL is co-founded by lacrosse superstar, philanthropist, and investor Paul Rabil and his brother, serial entrepreneur and investor, Mike Rabil. The PLL is backed by an investment group composed of Joe Tsai Sports, The Chernin Group, Arctos, Brett Jefferson Holdings, The Raine Group, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), The Kraft Group, Bolt Capital and other top investors in sports and media. The WLL and PLL are distributed through an exclusive media rights agreement with ESPN. For more on the league, visit www.premierlacrosseleague.com/womens-lacrosse-league and follow on social media: Instagram (@WLL), Twitter (@WLacrosseLeague), Facebook (@WomensLacrosseLeague), and TikTok (@WomensLacrosseLeague).

About ESPN

ESPN, the world’s leading multiplatform sports entertainment brand, features seven U.S. television networks, the leading sports app, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, leading social and digital platforms, ESPN.com, ESPN Audio, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.