CBS Sports Launches Beckham & Friends' Altcast for UEFA Champions League Coverage

CBS Sports Launches Beckham & Friends' Altcast for UEFA Champions League Coverage By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.

Thursday, September 19, 2024 - 11:14 am

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CBS Sports is set to take the altcast pitch, announcing a Beckham & Friends altcast will be available for its UEFA Champions League coverage as a new viewing option to Paramount+ subscribers. Global soccer icon David Beckham will be joined by his friends from the worlds of sports, media and entertainment, according to Paramount. The altcast, which is part of a two-year deal (according to Variety), will stream during UEFA Champions League Semifinal Leg 2 matches and the UEFA Champions League Final.

During the Altcasts, Beckham will host a watch party style broadcast featuring celebrity guests watching and commenting on the match. Beckham made the announcement Tuesday during a guest appearance on CBS Sports' UEFA Champions League Today studio show this week. The 2024-25 season kicked off Sept. 17 with the traditional group stage phase replaced by a league system with 36 teams.

I love watching the game and I like watching the game in a certain way and most of the time is either with my kids or my friends, he said. So it's going to be that kind of thing where I'm sat there watching the games commenting on the games with friends talking about the game and sometimes not talking about the game.

According to SBJ, CBS Sports will produce the program, in conjunction with UEFA Champions League, Authentic and sports media company Relevent Sports.

CBS Sport previous announced its full studio and commentary team, highlighted by UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TODAY's Kate Abdo, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards. In addition, Nico Cantor returns alongside Nigel Reo-Coker to lead THE GOLAZO SHOW, a whip-around program showing every goal from every match during the League Phase.

We will always continue building; We all talk about that internally, Pete Radovich, CBS Sports' Coordinating Producer for UEFA Champions League coverage, said last week. Credit to [Abdo, Carragher, and Richards]. You're talking about big stars, big personalities and there's never ever pushback to wanting to do more, wanting to push the boundaries, wanting to get better. I'll use the analogy as a manager, when you put myself in the manager's shoes and you work with players that are willing to take risks, willing to try more things, do more things, they don't get complacent.

So yes we will be adding new things, he continued. We will take some new risks on the road, maybe not Jamie in [the Dortmund Yellow Wall] this time around, but maybe some other risks. We will definitely build on it and I think every season as we continue we will add more and more surprises; more and more wrinkles. But one thing I can promise is we'll never settle in. We will never be copy paste mode ever on this show.

CBS Sports Golazo Network will provide all-day coverage on UCL matchdays beginning at 8:00 AM, ET, with MORNING FOOTY. CBS Sports will provide additional editorial coverage on CBSSports.com, the Golazo Starting XI newsletter and across its @CBSSportsGolazo social accounts.

CBS Sports' special three-day opening week continues today with All UEFA matches during the League Phase streaming live on Paramount+ and select matches airing CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

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