At 4 PM Eastern, 1 PM Pacific on Saturday, April 6th, CBS Sports began their journey on their National Broadcast Channel their journey with the USL Championship League, and from the start of their opening montage filled with popping graphics and fantastic opening music, they pumped you up for the second division league and the crazy match up that was Louisville City ad Indy Eleven at Lynn Family Stadium.
Let me say that getting Mike Watts and Devon Kerr was a no-brainer, but also adding Heather Mitts as a sideline reporter was a great hire to add to the broadcast team. We knew what we were getting with those three, but what we got from CBS Sports was great work from their production crew. The shots of the action on the field, the different camera angles cutting in and out, and the way they worked all angles from start to finish were fabulous.
Nothing fancy, nothing flashy, just good hard-working production and showing their professionalism to the country, why CBS Sports invested their time and money to make this sport important to them and to show the American Soccer community why they took over the UEFA Champions League and continued with other properties in Europe, South America and here in North America as well. CBS Sports has arrived by forcefully slamming its flag down and proving that it cares about how it broadcasts this game.
Here is the question that all of us are probably wondering. Why couldn't Major League Soccer secure a new broadcast rights deal before Apple came in and threw a giant amount of money to take them into an area that isn't popular or considered strong enough to be watched by many people? Because of the large amount of money being asked to pay by month, or an entire season. While the future of this business is online streaming, many are still holding on to linear television and being recognized by the major networks. If you are not on ABC/ESPN, CBS, FOX, or NBC, you are wasting everyone's time.
CBS Sports has done it again. They are making moves that are turning heads and eye-catching production. They take this stuff seriously, and it's a breath of fresh air that has been sorely needed for a very long period. Mike Watts, Devon Kerr, and Heather Mitts are in good hands with CBS Sports, and now I hope they can continue this good fortune by taking over other soccer properties in North America and the CONCACAF Region, or maybe they should take over broadcasting the FIFA World Cup. That would be a fantastic get for the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Honestly, the CBS broadcast left me with more questions than answers about USL broadcasts...
There is also another massive trickle down benefit in that the scripts and templates the CBS utilizes will suffuse down to USL only broadcasts and live-streams. Kind of like the long-time pros at CBS serving as "master" to the USL "apprentices"! The high bar of the CBS broadcasts sets a foundation that future years will build on. CBS is also smart because the USL Championship and League One teams reach deeply into far more communities than the MLS and its insular, walled Apple TV audience.