ESPN has secured streaming rights to broadcast Rock League, the world’s first professional curling league, marking a major step in the sport’s commercialization following its strong visibility at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The inaugural season of Rock League will be available in the United States via ESPN+, with the platform set to stream every game of the league’s week-long “preview†season. The competition began with its debut event in Toronto and will conclude with the finals on April 12.
Rock League features a diverse field of international talent, bringing together 60 athletes representing 12 different countries. Among them, 39 competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics, including 25 medalists, underscoring the high competitive level of the league’s debut season.
The league is structured around six mixed-gender, mixed-nationality franchises. Each team consists of five male and five female curlers, competing across traditional four-player formats (men’s, women’s, and mixed) as well as two-person doubles matches.
According to Nic Sulsky, co-founder and CEO of The Curling Group, the parent organization behind Rock League, the timing of the launch is ideal following the momentum generated by the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. He emphasized that the league aims to showcase the best curlers globally while expanding the sport’s audience, particularly in the United States.
Rock League has also attracted attention from investors within the sports world, including NFL figures such as George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, and Hall of Famer Jared Allen, signaling growing cross-sport interest in curling’s professional expansion.
The league’s broadcast team includes well-known curling personalities serving as commentators and analysts, with play-by-play coverage supported by experienced broadcasters and former athletes. Additional on-ice reporting will provide interviews and behind-the-scenes insights during competition.
Curling’s popularity received a boost during the 2026 Winter Olympics, where key matches drew millions of viewers in major markets. The men’s final between the United States and Sweden alone attracted approximately 1.6 million viewers on NBC’s network, highlighting the sport’s growing appeal.
With Rock League’s launch and ESPN’s involvement, curling is taking a significant step toward establishing itself as a mainstream professional sport with year-round visibility and structured league competition.