CBS Sports’ new deal with the English Football League (EFL) is a breath of fresh air for soccer fans in the United States. While ESPN+ was a big upgrade on the previous rightsholder beIN SPORTS, CBS’ new deal is even bigger and better. To break it all down, here’s the EFL FAQ to answer your questions.

Q: How is the new rights deal with CBS Sports different than the previous one with ESPN?

A: The two big differences with CBS Sports is that more games will be shown to viewers in the United States. Plus select games are coming to television. With the ESPN deal, it was an ESPN+ property. But CBS Sports and the EFL have agreed a deal to bring select games to CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network, as well as the vast majority on Paramount+.

Q: How much bigger is the CBS Sports deal compared to ESPN?

A: The EFL’s previous deal with ESPN+ included 147 Championship games per season, 20 from League One and League Two, and 30 from the League Cup. In total, they streamed more than 210 matches per season.

Under the new deal with CBS, 238 or more games will be shown. The League Cup remains the same with 30 (or more) matches. The number of Championship games has increased to a minimum of 155. Likewise, more League One and League Two games are planned (a minimum of 38). Plus all 15 playoff matches are available.

EFL’s press release states that CBS will air more than 250 EFL matches, which is a significant increase compared to ESPN’s 210.

Q: What will a typical EFL broadcast weekend look like for viewers in the United States?

A: Based on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 EFL season, it’s a big improvement compared to previous seasons. CBS is showing 12 matches, including:

• Nine from the Championship,
• Two from League One, and
• One from League Two.

Out of those 12 games, all of them are on Paramount+. Plus five of them are on CBS Sports Golazo Network, and three are on television via CBS Sports Network.

Here’s the latest, updated Championship TV schedule.

EFL FAQ: Answering your other questions

Q: How long does CBS Sports have the rights for?

A: The exclusive deal between CBS Sports and EFL runs from the 2024/25 season that kicks off on August 9, 2024 through the end of the 2027/28 season.

Q: How can I watch the EFL games that CBS Sports is not broadcasting?

A: Internationally, including the United States, any of the games not shown across the CBS Sports networks including Paramount+ will be streamed via each club’s iFollow streaming service.

So, for example, if you’re a fan of Portsmouth FC, you’ll need to subscribe to Paramount+ and Portsmouth’s iFollow streaming service to have access to every home and away game. The same applies to all 72 clubs in the EFL.

Visit your club’s website for more details about iFollow. Prices are different for each club, but a season-long package can be as much as $200 or more.

More details

Q: Do you know if CBS will be doing any type of in-studio analysis, even for 1-2 games a week?

A: According to CBS Sports, they will announce additional matches and studio coverage details for the start of the 2024-25 EFL season in the coming weeks.

Q: Is the FA Cup a separate deal?

A: Yes, the FA Cup rights were sold to ESPN in a separate deal. That rights deal continues through until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Q: What about Serie A and Ligue 1 rights?

A: Currently, there is no news to report on either of those deals. As it stands, as of press time, no broadcaster in the United States has picked up the rights to those leagues for the 2024/25 season. Ligue 1 hopes to make a decision soon on the international rights. Serie A negotiations have stalled.

Q: How much did CBS Sports pay for the EFL rights?

A: According to The New York Times, “EFL sources, who spoke anonymously due to the commercial sensitivities of the deal, said the EFL is up financially on its previous rights cycle in the Americas. The EFL had a guarantee of a $56million (£43m) sum for its TV rights in the Americas, which is the price Relevent paid to become the agency that would represent the 72-team league across these markets, while Relevent is in negotiations to sell the EFL’s regional betting rights. There is a joint Relevent-EFL marketing pot as part of the agreement. Relevent keeps all revenues above the guaranteed $56M up to certain level, and then 80 per cent above that goes to the EFL.”

What else would you like to know?

If there are any questions you have that aren’t answered below, let us know in the comments section and we’ll do our best to answer them in this article.

Photo: IMAGO / Action Plus