CBS Sports signs multi-year rights deal with EFL

English soccer is coming to CBS Sports platforms for the next four seasons.

On Thursday, CBS Sports announced a media rights agreement with the English Football League (EFL), beginning this season and running through the 2027-28 campaign.

The EFL previously had a media rights deal in the United States with ESPN, signed in 2022.

The agreement calls for at least 250 EFL matches to air on CBS platforms each season across the Championship, League One, and League Two, along with the Carabao Cup (League Cup) and Bristol Street Motors Trophy (EFL Trophy). This only represents a sliver of the 1,891 total matches across the EFL each season but is still an upgrade on the 210 matches ESPN aired under its previous rights pact.

“The exciting action and prestige of the EFL, as the oldest league in the world, adds tremendous value to CBS Sports’ premium soccer portfolio,” said Dan Weinberg, executive vice president of Programming, CBS Sports. “With the EFL’s compelling storylines and growing popularity coupled with our first-class coverage, we look forward to further elevating this league in the U.S. CBS Sports continues to be the premier destination for European football fans in this country with Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network as must-haves with their wide array of soccer properties and robust year-round match coverage.”

“Appetite for football in the North American markets has been growing year on year, and this partnership with CBS Sports and their leadership in covering the sport marks a significant milestone,” said Trevor Birch, chief executive officer at the EFL. “The EFL is already broadcast to a global audience of 400 million across 182 territories, beaming into more than 250 million homes outside of the UK.

“We believe that American fans will embrace the excitement, tradition, and competitiveness that is embodied by our EFL competitions. This is an exciting time for the League and our Clubs, and we look forward to sharing our matches with viewers across the United States.”

The breakdown of matches per competition is as follows.

• Minimum of 155 Championship matches
• Minimum of 38 League One and League Two matches
• All 15 Playoff matches over the three leagues
• Minimum of 30 Carabao Cup matches
• Three Bristol Street Motors Trophy matches

Additionally, CBS notes that it “can select further matches for broadcast, no later than two weeks out” and that the EFL’s clubs can stream the non-selected matches for international fans.

All matches will stream on Paramount+, with some also available on CBS Sports Network and the CBS Sports Golazo Network.

CBS platforms will air 12 matches during the EFL’s opening weekend of play, beginning on Friday, August 9. Notably, Wrexham’s match with Wycombe Wanderers has been selected.

• Blackburn Rovers vs. Derby County
  • Friday, Aug. 9 at 3:00 PM
  • Paramount+ CBS Sports Network
• Preston North End vs. Sheffield United
  • Friday, Aug. 9 at 3:00 PM
  • Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
• Oxford United vs. Norwich City
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 AM
  • Paramount+
• Leeds United vs. Portsmouth
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 AM
  • Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
• Middlesbrough vs. Swansea City
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 AM
  • Paramount+
• Cardiff City vs. Sunderland
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 AM
  • Paramount+
• Queens Park Rangers vs. West Bromwich Albion
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 AM
  • Paramount+ CBS Sports Network
• Milton Keynes Dons vs. Bradford City
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 10:00 AM
  • Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
• Birmingham City vs. Reading
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 12:30 PM
  • Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
• Wrexham vs. Wycombe Wanderers
  • Saturday, Aug. 10 at 12:30 PM
  • Paramount+ & CBS Sports Network
• Sheffield Wednesday vs. Plymouth Argyle
  • Sunday, Aug. 11 at 11:00 AM
  • Paramount+
• Luton Town vs. Burnley
  • Monday, Aug. 12 at 3:00 PM
  • Paramount+

The addition of Wrexham, for at least the next two years, will likely be a huge selling point for CBS going forward, given the rampant success and popularity of the club domestically due to the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries on FX.

The length of the deal lines up with the Premier League’s existing rights agreement with NBC Sports, which also ends with the 2027-28 season. Last year, the Premier League and EFL reportedly decided to bundle their rights beginning with the 2028-29 campaign.

The deal between CBS and the EFL raises another question about the future of Serie A’s broadcast rights in the United States. CBS picked up the Italian top flight’s rights on a three-year deal announced in 2021, and while the company was looking to retain the league’s rights beyond 2024, negotiations hit a roadblock earlier this year. The 2024-25 Serie A season begins on August 17, so there’s still plenty of time to get a deal done between the league and any media company, let alone previous rightsholder CBS.

In addition to its media rights deal with the EFL, CBS has deals with UEFA (covering the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, and Youth League), the NWSL, the USL, Concacaf, and the SPFL.

The media rights for the English game are now spread across three companies. NBC has the Premier League, CBS has the EFL, and ESPN announced an extension to retain the FA Cup through 2028 earlier this year. With all three of those deals now lined up to expire in 2028, it will be quite interesting to see if English football decides to bundle everything together and sell the whole package to one bidder several years from now.

[CBS Sports]