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CBS SPORTS SECURES EXCLUSIVE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE COVERAGE OF CONCACAF MEN'S WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
PARAMOUNT+ TO STREAM UP TO 79 MATCHES
CBS Sports and IMG today announced the details of an agreement for Paramount+, ViacomCBS' subscription streaming service, to serve as the exclusive English-language home in the US of qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022(TM) for the Concacaf region of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The deal includes six away matches for both the United States and Mexico men's national teams as well as the media rights to all other matches played in the region. Up to 79 matches will stream live on Paramount+ and CBS Sports has the ability to air select matches on linear platforms.
The first of three rounds of qualifying matches kick off this evening (Wednesday) involving teams ranked 6-35 based on FIFA rankings. Tonight's matches on Paramount+ feature Dominican Republic vs. Dominica at 7:05 PM, ET and Guatemala vs. Cuba at 8:05 PM, ET. The top five ranked Concacaf teams - Mexico, the United States, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Honduras - join the action in the Third round.
"We're excited to make Paramount+ the home of Concacaf Men's World Cup Qualifiers and look forward to bringing these intense and competitive national team competitions to fans," said Jeffrey Gerttula, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS Sports Digital. "With the addition of these qualifiers, Paramount+ will be the destination for a diverse and passionate fanbase eager to cheer for their national teams on the road to the FIFA World Cup."
Hillary Mandel, EVP, Head of Americas and Global Partnerships, IMG, said: "We are really excited about the distribution commitment and amplification that Paramount+ and the CBS Sports platforms will provide for the Concacaf qualifiers, and especially English-speaking fans in the United States. They have made a huge commitment to soccer and this deal strengthens their position for delivering quality, premium live action from the very best competitions around the world."
In the First round of matches, teams ranked 6-35 are drawn in six groups of five and play single round-robin matches (two home and two away) with group winners qualifying for the next round. These take place in March and June 2021. In the Second round, the six First round group winners play in a two-legged home and away series (also in June 2021) with the three winners advancing to the final round to join the five top-ranked teams.
Teams then play each other home and away with the top three teams qualifying for the World Cup. These matches are played in September, October and November 2021, and January and March 2022. The fourth placed team advances to the inter-confederation play-offs. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022(TM) will be held from Nov. 21-Dec. 18, 2022.
IMG jointly owns the media rights for the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers with Mediapro, who are also the production host broadcaster for the matches.
IMG currently licenses media rights to some of the world's leading football properties. In addition to the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers and Concacaf Nations League, the company markets US Soccer, MLS, Serie A, the FA Cup, LaLiga and Bundesliga, whilst also representing Premier League rights in Eastern Europe. IMG is also responsible for the worldwide sales of South America's premier Club competitions, the CONMEBOL Libertadores & Sudamericana, via FC Diez Media.
Below is the schedule of Concacaf Men's World Cup Qualifiers streaming on Paramount+ in March:
Wednesday, March 24 Dominican Republic vs. Dominica 7:05 PM, ET
Wednesday, March 24 Guatemala vs. Cuba 8:05 PM, ET
Thursday, March 25 Haiti vs. Belize 5:00 PM, ET
Thursday, March 25 Curaçao vs. St. Vincent & the Grenadines 6:05 PM, ET
Thursday, March 25 Trinidad & Tobago vs. Guyana 7:05 PM, ET
Thursday, March 25 Panamá vs. Barbados 7:55 PM, ET
Thursday, March 25 Canada vs. Bermuda 8:05 PM, ET
Thursday, March 25 El Salvador vs. Grenada 10:25 PM, ET
Saturday, March 27 Turks & Caicos Islands vs. Nicaragua 4:35 PM, ET
Saturday, March 27 British Virgin Islands vs. Guatemala 6:05 PM, ET
Saturday, March 27 Anguilla vs. Dominican Republic 6:05 PM, ET
Saturday, March 27 Aruba vs. Suriname 8:05 PM, ET
Sunday, March 28 Dominica vs. Panamá 4:05 PM, ET
Sunday, March 28 Cayman Islands vs. Canada 4:05 PM, ET
Sunday, March 28 Puerto Rico vs. Trinidad & Tobago 5:05 PM, ET
Sunday, March 28 Montserrat vs. El Salvador 6:05 PM, ET
Tuesday, March 30 Barbados vs. Anguilla 7:35 PM, ET
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world's greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global entertainment, sports and content company.
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