Media and Gender Study: 2023 Annual Report

Overall, the study shows significant advances in the coverage of women’s sport in New Zealand media, increasing from 15% in 2020 to 26% in 2023. However, 2023 is the first year where gender balance has not improved year on year.

Key findings from the latest report:

• Overall gender balance of sports new coverage has dropped slightly from 28% to 26% since 2022. This is likely due to fewer major events hosted in New Zealand.
• However, media outlets maintained a minimum standard of close to 25% of all coverage dedicated to women’s sport throughout 2023.
• The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup had the biggest impact on gender balance during a tournament period of all major events in this study, with 45.5% of all sports coverage being about women. However, this wasn’t enough to maintain the gains made in 2022 which saw the Women’s Cricket and Rugby World Cups held in NZ.
• 2023 saw a small increase in female bylines on women’s sport coverage, from 12% to 14%, although this still remains a challenge in sports media.

The quality and depth of women’s sports coverage continues to improve along with the volume of reporting. Topics of discussion have broadened over the last three years, with an increased focus on training and preparation, with minimal difference between how women’s sport and men’s sport is reported on.

It is also worth noting that the New Zealand media landscape is undergoing significant change with a number of major newsrooms restructuring, reducing in size, or closing altogether. The gender balance of stories may not be significantly impacted by these moves, but they will impact the opportunity to see women in sports news coverage, particularly on television. They will also impact the opportunities for career paths into sports journalism.

While gender balance in sports news coverage has declined since 2022, it is encouraging that we continue to see dedicated efforts being made by media, broadcasters, sports, athletes and others to improve the visibility of female athletes and teams in sports news media.

Sport NZ and Isentia are proud to continue this study. It is one of the most significant of its kind globally and an opportunity to track progress and identify opportunities for improvement.