ViacomCBS Lands Rights to All UEFA Matches for 2019-20, 2020-21 Seasons
Deal expands on existing agreement slated to start in 2021; CBS All-Access will stream every UEFA club match
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ViacomCBS has inked a deal with UEFA to expand its rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League through 2024, beginning in August. Originally set to be a three-year deal starting with the 2021-2022 season, CBS and UEFA agreed to add the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season as well as the entire 2020-2021 season, following Turner Sports opting out of its deal that ran through the 2020-21 season. As the exclusive English-language home of UEFA in the U.S., CBS All Access will stream every UEFA club match live and CBS and CBS Sports Network will air marquee matches. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“This is a landmark acquisition for CBS as we add the world’s most popular sport to our extensive portfolio of marquee properties,” says Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “We’re excited to be the new home of the UEFA club competitions and looking forward to showcasing the best soccer in the world with a first-class presentation serving both the passionate and casual soccer fans, starting in August. Using a multi-platform approach across our broadcast, cable and digital assets, this partnership will leverage the power of ViacomCBS and CBS Sports to elevate and grow UEFA’s reach in the United States.”
ViacomCBS’ CBS All-Access DTC streaming service will stream every UEFA club competition match live each season, featuring all UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches, along with the UEFA Super Cup, and from 2021-2022 all UEFA Europa Conference League matches. CBS will air select marquee matches on the CBS Television Network and CBS Sports Network over the length of the deal, featuring the most UEFA matches ever on U.S. broadcast television.
Coverage will begin in August with the remaining Round of 16 matches for the 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, followed by the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final in a straight knockout tournament, and will span multiple platforms, with every game on CBS All Access and select games on CBS Sports Network.
“The addition of all UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League matches is a game changer for CBS All Access’ growing lineup of sports programming,” says Marc DeBevoise, Chief Digital Officer of ViacomCBS. “This partnership marks a major step in our service’s expansion into exclusive sports content, and we’re thrilled to deliver more than 300 UEFA matches each season, along with the highly anticipated resumption and completion of the current UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League seasons, directly to our subscribers and the clubs’ loyal supporters. Additionally, we are excited about the young, diverse audience that these matches will bring to all of our platforms, especially as we embark on the expansion of CBS All Access with content from across ViacomCBS.”
The full schedule for the August tournament including times, platforms and announcers will be released in the coming weeks. Additional coverage details for future seasons will be announced at a later date.
CBS Sports Network, CBS All Access and CBS Sports Digital will deliver additional coverage and original programming, including live whip-around coverage of matches during the knockout rounds and primetime replays throughout the season on CBS Sports Network and CBS All Access, as well as archival matches on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Digital will stream select games and will feature highlights from each match across social channels and CBS Sports HQ, the 24/7 streaming sports news network.
