USL excited about major CBS Sports TV rights deal
In an interview with World Soccer Talk, one of the top USL executives shared that he’s excited about the major broadcasting agreement between USL and CBS Sports.
The new arrangement will see 100 total matches from USL divisions air live on CBS Sports Platforms. Both the USL Championship (D2) and League One (D3) are set to be featured. The women’s Super League has yet to have broadcast details announced.
The CBS deal includes 20+ games each season on CBS Sports Network. The Championship final and other select games will air on the main over-the-air CBS Television Network, with simulcasts on Paramount+. And 75 games will stream live on the CBS Sports Golazo! Network. Golazo! is available at no cost via Pluto TV, CBSSports.com, and other platforms (as well as being built into Paramount+).
USL, CBS Sports partnership huge for the league
Speaking to World Soccer Talk, USL Senior Vice President of the USL Championship Jeremy Alumbaugh said, “It’s huge. I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until the day it got announced and friends, inside and outside of soccer, started hitting me up.
“As a young kid growing up, a number of the massive sporting events I watched were on CBS. For USL to have them as our home, and more importantly to have them as a partner, they are in this with us, that’s a big, big thing for us to move forward. And we’re really excited about this partnership and this deal.”
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Sporting JAX on the First Coast
Alumbaugh shared the remarks at the recent unveiling of Sporting JAX, which will be the first time that American professional men’s and women’s teams will share the same branding.
Other men’s clubs have fielded women’s teams using the same brand – examples include Detroit City FC and the Seattle Sounders. But the women’s teams were fielded in amateur leagues, not professional. There are examples of women’s pro teams sharing colors and similar branding with their men’s counterparts – Houston, Louisville, North Carolina, and Orlando come to mind. But they all use different team names and logos.
This is a novel case of American soccer conforming to what is standard practice in much of the world. Clubs such as FC Barcelona, River Plate, Manchester United, PSG, Bayern Munich, América, and many more field both professional men’s and women’s sides under the same banner. But until now, it has been unheard of in the American game.
“We’re the only one [league] that has the pathway on both sides, for the men and the women. I think every community is different, every club is gonna be different” said Alumbaugh. “But when it makes sense, as it does here, I think it just proves our point that we’re a landing spot that has that opportunity where a young boy or girl can go through the pathway and end up at the pro level. And we’re the only place that has that, and that makes us unique and special.”
Quotes have been edited for clarity.