Portland Thorns, Women's Soccer League Score TV Deal With Lifetime

The Portland Thorns are already the most popular team in The National Women's Soccer League, averaging 17,000 fans a game. Starting in April, they will have a chance to grow that base thanks to a a television deal the league has signed with Lifetime.

The three-year deal means every Saturday at 4 E.S.T. Lifetime will air a game of the week with a pregame show airing a half-hour before.

It's a big move for the 10-team league, which is getting ready to start its fifth season. In addition to Portland, the league has teams in Kansas City, Washington, Chicago, Houston, North Carolina, Orlando, Seattle, and New Jersey.

As part of the deal, Lifetime's parent, A+E Networks also bought a 25 percent stake in the league.

"We are on a journey to establish a sustainable permanent soccer league in the United states and Canada," said NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush. "We are also extremely pleased to be able to present our fans with the most comprehensive national television and streaming packages in our history."

The deal calls for A+E to work with the league to develop a new NWSL.com website and new apps for iOS and Android.

Nancy Dubuc, president and CEO of A+E Networks and a former college athlete, said that by showing the games, Lifetime will be helping tell the stories of female athletes, which is an important step in empowering women.

"It's a way to show girls and women around the world how to think about themselves and their place in this world differently," said Dubuc. "Being a female athlete is incredibly important to being a successful woman. The power of what that gave me, and how that taught me to help be a CEO of a succesfule media company.

The league says that they are still negotiating rights to stream games that are not broadcast on Lifetime.

"This partnership is not only tremendously significant in the continued growth of the NWSL, but representative of how far the league has come in four years and where it can go in the future," said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati.

WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE: