CBS is set to air both of the upcoming UEFA Champions League semifinals on national television, making it accessible for sports fans across America. The first match will see Bayern Munich take on Real Madrid, followed by Borussia Dortmund hosting PSG at the Westfalenstadion.
The first game of Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30. The following day, Borussia Dortmund will face off against PSG. Both matches will be broadcasted via the CBS over-the-air channel, ensuring wide availability even for viewers without a Paramount+ subscription.
However, it's important to note that the second legs of these games have different TV coverage plans. On May 7th, the return leg in Paris between PSG and Borussia Dortmund will be streamed exclusively on Paramount+. Conversely, the game at Santiago Bernabeu between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich airing on May 8th remains available through CBS TV channel.
Pregame coverage for all games aired on CBS can also be found there while pregame coverage for matches exclusive to Paramount+ are available only through their platform. For those who already subscribe to Paramount+, all four semifinal stage games are accessible via this platform as well as any pregame or postgame coverage.
CBS also add changes in studio crew coverage
In an attempt to mix up its approach towards covering these fixtures, CBS has decided to change its studio crew lineup. For Tuesday’s game featuring Bayern Munich versus Real Madrid; Kate Abdo alongside Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards will provide analysis from their studio while Peter Schmeichel and Guillem Balague offer pitchside insights from Allianz Arena.
On Wednesday however; Alessandro del Piero joins Abdo's team in place of Carragher who travels with Schmeichel to Signal Iduna Park - home ground of Borussia Dortmund.
For the first leg matches, Clive Tyldesley and Rob Green will be commentating on the Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid game while Chris Wittyngham and Ray Hudson will cover the Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint Germain clash.
CBS have found consistency over-the-air broadcasts
This is not the first time CBS has broadcasted multiple games of UEFA Champions League on its TV channel. In fact, during this season's quarterfinals, Barcelona-PSG and Manchester City-Real Madrid were aired on CBS which led to a record-breaking American audience for a Champions League quarterfinal. According to CBS, 1.11 million viewers tuned in for the second leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid with viewership peaking at 1.58 million across both CBS and Paramount+.
Given this trend, it is highly likely that CBS will air the Champions League Final later this season as they did in 2023 and 2022 which attracted millions of viewers each time.
Despite no teams from America's most popular domestic league - The Premier League - featuring in these semifinals; enticing matchups are expected to continue drawing large audiences for CBS.
