CBS unveiled a commercial during the National Football League’s AFC Championship that perfectly captures what it is like to watch the UEFA Champions League. At least, it perfectly captures what it is like to watch the competition for American viewers. The top international club competition in Europe has games that start around lunchtime for viewers in the United States. With kickoffs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, most Americans are either working or in school.
That does not stop us from watching the UEFA Champions League. the minute-long spot during this past Sunday’s NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs summed up soccer fandom in the United States: Do whatever it takes to watch your favorite club play. Whether that be excuses or secret screens with game coverage, the busy hours of the day do not stop Americans.
The commercial featured some of the common excuses fans may use to get out of traditional work. External meetings, 90-minute lunch breaks, illnesses and more are all common excuses we use. The fact of the matter remains, we are not alone in skirting work to make room for the UEFA Champions League. The tagline is fitting, too. No one watches like U.S.
“Research shows there is a high crossover between young and diverse football and soccer fans. We view this campaign as a tremendous opportunity to reach a new and emerging soccer audience with a fun and clever approach, helping them to become passionate viewers of CBS Sports’ coverage of the UEFA Champions League on Paramount+,” said Rob Stecklow, SVP Program Marketing, Sports & News at Paramount+.
American fans will go back to watching the UEFA Champions League in their quirky ways on Feb. 13. On that date, the knockout stages of the competition begin with a pair of games. Copenhagen hosts Manchester City and RB Leipzig welcomes Real Madrid. Both of those games are available on Paramount+.
Last season, the return of the knockout stages set records for UEFA Champions League coverage on Paramount+. While CBS did not provide metrics, Real Madrid’s win over Liverpool at Anfield became the most-watched round of 16 game on US streaming services. That game was also the most-watched round of 16 game in US TV history.
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This season, there is not a standout fixture like that in the round of 16. However, that does shape up major fixtures in the quarterfinals of the competition. Also, there are bound to be shocking results in the round of 16 this season. That adds to the intrigue of watching the competition on Paramount+ this season.
In terms of games that are available via the CBS channel, CBS has seen steady growth in viewership despite the less-than-ideal kickoff times. The biggest games in the UEFA Champions League border on 1 million viewers. In fact, the Champions League averaged 964,000 viewers when airing on CBS. That makes it the most watched competition on US TV based on average game viewership.
PHOTO: IMAGO
