CBS All Access and CBS Sports to be English-language home of Champions League in US

ViacomCBS has struck a multi-platform agreement with UEFA for subscription streaming service CBS All Access and CBS Sports to serve as the exclusive English-language home in the US of Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League football until 2024, beginning in August.

CBS All Access will stream every UEFA club competition match live each season, featuring all Champions League and Europa League matches, along with the Super Cup, and from 2021-2022 all Europa Conference League matches.

CBS will air select key matches on the CBS television network and CBS Sports Network over the length of the deal, which it said would feature the most UEFA matches ever on US broadcast television.

Originally set to be a three-year deal starting with the 2021-2022 season, CBS and UEFA agreed to add the COVID-19-delayed conclusion of the 2019-2020 season as well as the entire 2020-2021 season.

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, with every game on CBS All Access and select games on CBS Sports Network.

US rights to the Champions League were previously held by Turner, which had originally intended to continue to stream the competition until the end of the 2020-21 season.

Spanish language rights are held by Univision.

CBS Sports Network, CBS All Access and CBS Sports Digital will deliver additional coverage and original programming, including live 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.

“This is a landmark acquisition for CBS as we add the world’s most popular sport to our extensive portfolio of marquee properties. 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,” said Sean McManus, chairman, CBS Sports.

“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, 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” said Marc DeBevoise, chief digital officer of ViacomCBS.