Wikipedia

Soccer on CBS Sports

Soccer on CBS Sports is a number of television programs that have aired soccer matches in the United States on CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) and CBS Sports Golazo Network. These matches are from International, European, and American competitions.

Soccer on CBS Sports
GenreSoccer telecasts
Theme music composerHelmut Vonlichten
Opening themeTNF 32 (CBS Thursday Night Football Theme) by VonLichten
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time3+ hours (or until game ends)
Production companyCBS Sports
Original release
NetworkCBS, CBS Sports Network, CBS All Access/Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network

Current programming

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UEFA club competitions

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See also: List of UEFA Champions League broadcasters, List of UEFA Europa League broadcasters, List of UEFA Europa Conference League broadcasters, List of UEFA Super Cup broadcasters, and UEFA Champions League on United States television

In November 2019, CBS acquired rights to UEFA club competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup for three seasons beginning in the 2021–22 season, replacing Turner Sports. The package would center around the CBS All Access (now Paramount+) subscription service, which carries all matches live, with selected matches to be carried by the main CBS network. CBS Sports Network largely carries The Golazo Show on matchdays, a "whiparound" show that airs goals and important moments from all matches in a broadcast window. Its name is a reference to "CBS Sports Golazo", the branding used by the network on social media to promote their men's soccer programming.[1][2][3][4][5][6] CBS's studio coverage for the Champions League is produced from IMG's studio in Stockley Park, London in association with network-owned Channel 5.[6]

During the suspension of the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, Turner Sports dropped out of its contract with UEFA. CBS would pick up the remainder of the contract and begin its coverage early, beginning from the remaining round of 16 matches in August 2020.[5] On August 19, 2022, UEFA extended the deal with CBS until 2030.[7]

National Women's Soccer League

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Further information: National Women's Soccer League on television

On March 11, 2020, the NWSL announced that it has entered into a three-year media agreement with CBS Sports and the video game-oriented streaming service Twitch.[8] For the 2020 NWSL season, CBS Sports will broadcast 87 matches (including the playoffs) split between CBS, CBS Sports Network, and CBS All Access in Canada and the United States, with the exact distribution among the channels subject to change, while Twitch will stream an additional 24 matches for free. Twitch will also become the NWSL's international media rights holder and stream all matches outside Canada and the United States for free.[9][10]

On November 9, 2023, the NWSL announced a new multi-year deal with CBS Sports. On CBS and streaming on Paramount+, CBS Sports will air at least 10 regular season matches, one quarterfinal, one semifinal, and the championship. Eight matches will air exclusively on CBS Sports Network.[11][6]

CONCACAF

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Further information: Sports broadcasting contracts in the United States § Soccer

Paramount+ will offer more than 200 matches from the CONCACAF region, airing English-language rights of Nations League Finals in June 2021 including United States matches, and CONCACAF Men's and Women's World Cup qualifiers, except U.S. and Mexico home matches.[12][13]

Brasileirāo and Argentine Primera División

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CBS will stream more than 360 matches a year from Brazil's top-tier Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and more than 300 matches a year from Argentina's Primera División Argentina in English-language on Paramount+.[12]

AFC

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CBS reached an agreement with Asian Football Confederation to acquire the exclusive U.S. rights for several competitions, including Men's World Cup qualifying, Men's Champions League, Men's Asian Cup, Women's Club Championship and Women's Asian Cup (which is also becoming their Women's World Cup qualification). These coverage are expected to begin in the fall of 2021 on Paramount+.[14]

Serie A

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CBS acquired rights of Serie A, replacing ESPN, for three seasons beginning in 2021-22 until 2023–24. More than 400 club matches will be on Paramount+, featuring 380 Serie A matches, 25 Coppa Italia matches—including selected knockout rounds, and the Supercoppa Italiana match each year. Select matches will airing on other CBS Sports platforms, including CBS Sports Network. For the first two weeks, CBS' studio coverage will be based from CBS Sports HQ studio in Stamford, Conn. Additional coverage details will be announced in later date with full studio coverage from CBS Broadcast Center in New York City beginning on Sunday, Sept. 12.[15]

Scottish Professional Football League

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CBS replaced ESPN as the U.S. rights holder of the Scottish Premiership after reaching a multi-year deal beginning from 2021–22 until 2024-25 season. The majority of the matches, including the Scottish Championship and the Scottish League Cup, will air on Paramount+ with select matches, including Old Firm derby are shown on CBS Sports Network.[16][17]

FA Women's Super League

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CBS was awarded a multi-year contract to broadcast the FA Women's Super League beginning in 2022–23 seasons. A total of 57 matches are scheduled to be aired selectively on the CBS Sports Network and the majority can be accessed via Paramount+.[18]

English Football League

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CBS Sports holds the rights to the English Football League, including 135 Championship matches, 38 League One matches, 38 League Two matches, 30 Carabao Cup matches and 3 Bristol Street Motors Trophy matches per season, through the 2027–28 season.[19]

Other rights

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CBS Sports also holds the rights to the Major Arena Soccer League,[20] the CONCACAF W Champions Cup,[21] the USL Championship, and USL League 1.[22]

On-air personalities

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Play-by-play

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Color commentators

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Reporters

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Studio hosts

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Studio analysts

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Former programming

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North American Soccer League

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Further information: North American Soccer League on television and List of Soccer Bowl broadcasters

In 1967, two professional soccer leagues started in the United States: the FIFA-sanctioned United Soccer Association, which consisted of entire European and South American teams brought to the U.S. and given local names, and the unsanctioned National Professional Soccer League. The National Professional Soccer League had a national television contract in the U.S. with the CBS television network (which signed a two-year contract to broadcast a game every Sunday afternoon live and in color). The NPSL kicked off on Sunday, April 16 with a full slate of five matches. However, the ratings for matches were unacceptable even by weekend daytime standards and the arrangement was terminated. Bill MacPhail, head of CBS Sports, attributed NASL's lack of TV appeal to empty stadiums with few fans, and to undistinguished foreign players who were unfamiliar to American soccer fans.[25]

The leagues merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). It has been suggested that the timing of the merge was related to the huge amount of attention given throughout the English-speaking world to the victory by England in the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the resulting documentary film, Goal. While the USSF and FIFA refused to recognize the NPSL, the television contract with CBS[26] guaranteed some element of financial stability.

In 1974, although the Los Angeles Aztecs had a league-best record and points total, and rightly should have hosted the championship final, CBS intervened and strongly influenced the NASL's decision to play the match in Miami. CBS was under contract to air the game live and was unwilling to black-out the large Southern California viewing audience. At the time it was the standard in many U.S.-based sports for the host market not to broadcast games locally unless they were sold out. At the time, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum had a capacity of 94,500 and, even in a best-case scenario, an Aztecs sell-out was unlikely. Moreover, in an effort by CBS to capture more viewers during the peak East Coast time slot, a Los Angeles-hosted game would have begun at 12:30 (PDT) local time. The league recognized that both these factors would be detrimental to ticket sales and agreed to move the game to the Miami Orange Bowl with a 3:30 (EDT) local start. CBS had also stepped in the previous week and forced the Toros to play their semifinal match at the much-smaller Tamiami Stadium in Tamiami Park. This was done so that if Miami did win, CBS's production crews would have a full week for set-up in the Orange Bowl stadium.[27]

1974 FIFA World Cup

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By 1970, the NASL was struggling, and had lost its TV contract with CBS. As a result, they didn't provide any network TV coverage[28] of the 1970 World Cup.

1974's coverage[29] contained week-old filmed highlights on CBS Sports Spectacular.[30] For the Final, CBS used BBC's feed with announcer David Coleman.

Major Indoor Soccer League

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Further information: Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) on television

The MISL made inroads on national television in 1982–83. While the spring would see the end of the league's two-year deal with the USA Network, CBS would broadcast a playoff game live from Cleveland on May 7 that drew an estimated four million viewers. One game during the 1983–84 season was televised on CBS (Game 3 of the championship series on June 2) as well.

1984–85 would be the final year the MISL would have games aired on network television, CBS broadcast Game 4 of the championship series live on May 25.[31] CBS used Gary Bender and Kyle Rote Jr.[32] on commentary.

NCAA Men's Soccer Championship

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By 1990, CBS would televise the final of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament between UCLA Bruins and Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Mike Joy and Seamus Malin provided commentary, with Jim Gray serving as the sideline reporter.

CBS Sports Golazo Network

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CBS Sports Golazo Network
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaUnited States
NetworkCBS Sports
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format720p (HD VBR)
Ownership
OwnerParamount Global
ParentParamount Streaming
Sister channels
List
History
LaunchedApril 11, 2023 (2023-04-11)
Links
Webcastwww.cbssports.com/watch/cbs-sports-golazo-network

The CBS Sports Golazo Network is a streaming video sports channel operated by the CBS Sports and Paramount Streaming divisions of Paramount focused on soccer.[33] The channel is available on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+ along with Amazon's Freevee[34] and Roku's Roku Channel.[35] Featured programming includes three live studio shows, Morning Footy talk show on weekdays usually at 8AM ET, Box 2 Box news show on weekdays usually at 1PM ET, and the comprehensive highlights show Scoreline daily usually at 5pm ET with updated highlights (from MLS, NWSL, USL, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL competitions) throughout the evening as needed.[36] CBS Sports Golazo Network also offers second-screen "tactical cam" or "isolation cam" (on a star player) coverage of major matches airing on CBS and select live matches from UEFA club competitions, Serie A, NWSL, USL, Scottish Professional Football League and Argentine Primera División.[33]

On-air talent

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[37][38][36]

Presenters

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Analysts and contributors

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References

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  1. ^ Harris, Christopher (November 12, 2019). "CBS reveals more details about UEFA Champions League plans". WorldSoccerTalk. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "CBS, Univision Land Champions League Rights In Surprising Deal". Sports Business Daily. November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "UEFA Champions League and Europa League come to CBS Sports with new U.S. TV rights deal". CBSSports.com. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  4. ^ "CBS secures shock Champions League US rights deal, say reports". SportsPro Media. November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Sherman, Alex (July 8, 2020). "ViacomCBS will stream UEFA Champions League matches on CBS All Access beginning in August". CNBC. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Costa, Brandon (January 6, 2021). "CBS Sports Aims To Bring UEFA Champions League Coverage Onsite". Sports Video Group. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  7. ^ "Paramount Beats Amazon With $1.5 Billion Deal for Champions League Rights". Bloomberg.com. August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Levine, Matthew (March 11, 2020). "NWSL announces landmark multi-year media agreements with CBS Sports featuring games on CBS, CBS Sports Network, & CBS All-Access and Twitch". NWSL. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  9. ^ Alexander, Julia (March 11, 2020). "Amazon continues push into sports with National Women's Soccer League on Twitch". The Verge. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "NWSL Inks Multi-Year Deal With CBS Sports, Twitch". Sports Video Group. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Lucia, Joe (November 9, 2023). "NWSL announces new media rights deals, reportedly paying $60 million annually". Awful Announcing. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Harris, Christopher (February 25, 2021). "Paramount+ adds USMNT and USWNT World Cup qualifiers plus Brasileirāo and Argentine leagues". World Soccer Talk. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Patten, Dominic (February 24, 2021). "Paramount+ "Doubling Down" On Soccer, NFL & More Sports In Clear Challenge To Peacock". Deadline. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  14. ^ Harris, Christopher (May 28, 2021). "Paramount+ adds Asian Football Confederation to growing portfolio of soccer rights". World Soccer Talk. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "Serie A is coming to Paramount+: CBS Sports acquires exclusive rights for Italian soccer beginning this summer". CBSSports.com. March 25, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "CBS SPORTS ANNOUNCES MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT TO BECOME EXCLUSIVE U.S. HOME OF SCOTTISH PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE". ViacomCBS Press Express. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  17. ^ "Scottish Premiership to air on CBS Sports and Paramount+ until 2025 - SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. July 29, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  18. ^ "Women's Super League to air on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ beginning summer of 2022". CBSSports.com. November 8, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  19. ^ "CBS Sports announces multi-year, multi-platform rights agreement with English Football League". EFL. July 18, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  20. ^ "MASL TO AIR 40 GAMES ON CBS SPORTS GOLAZO NETWORK". MASL. November 27, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "Concacaf W Champions Cup schedule, standings, scores: How to watch on CBS Sports, Paramount+". CBS Sports. October 16, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "USL and CBS Sports reach landmark multi-year rights agreement". USL. November 7, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  23. ^ UEFA Champions League only
  24. ^ "THIERRY HENRY JOINS CBS SPORTS' UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE COVERAGE AS STUDIO ANALYST". ViacomCBS Press Express. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  25. ^ Sports Illustrated, Soccer Is Getting A Toehold, August 30, 1976, [1]
  26. ^ 1968 CBS North American Soccer League PROMO (NASL) on YouTube
  27. ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19740814&id=UDw0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=yesFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4148,1615343&hl=en [dead link‍]
  28. ^ "World Cup broadcasting history in the U.S." Radio Discussions. May 24, 2006.
  29. ^ "The early days of World Cup broadcasting in the US". BigSoccer. May 20, 2014.
  30. ^ Gumusyan, Aram (August 1, 2016). "A brief history of the World Cup, European Championship and Copa America on US TV". World Soccer Talk.
  31. ^ Sarni, Jim (May 25, 1985). "Blast For Soccer Fans: CBS Airs MISL Game". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  32. ^ "Sewanee's Kyle Rote, Jr. Elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame". SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE. April 28, 2010.
  33. ^ a b "CBS Sports Golazo Network: How to watch the first-of-its-kind, 24-hour streaming soccer network online". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  34. ^ McCain, Raymond. "Amazon Freevee Adds 4 New Paramount Channels: Miramax, BET x Tyler Perry & More". Cord Cutters News.
  35. ^ Gardner, Steve. "CBS Sports Golazo Network marks debut of first 24-hour free digital soccer channel". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  36. ^ a b Harris, Christopher. "Golazo Network first impressions, including Morning Footy show". World Soccer Talk. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  37. ^ "Morning Footy". paramountpressexpress.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  38. ^ "Box 2 Box". paramountpressexpress.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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