CBS Sports UEFA Champions League Today Studio Show Heads Budapest for Final as Transcontinental Popularity Grows

In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and will air 10 hours on multiple platforms tomorrow

When CBS Sports's UEFA Champions League Today rolls out live from Pusk s Ar na in Budapest for Saturday's UEFA Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal, the onsite studio production will look less like an American network covering a foreign sport and more like the established face of European football. The evolution of CBS Sports' Champions League coverage, now in its sixth year, can be seen in how the show is received when it travels.

We're an American show, broadcast in America - and people in the stands in Milan and Istanbul are yelling out, CBS! Golazo! CBS!' That's crazy. says CBS Sports VP, Production/Senior Creative Director Pete Radovich regarding the show's previous pitch-side appearances in Europe. When we started, nobody knew who we were. Nobody cared about us. We had to earn the respect of UEFA, of the European community, of the football community, of the fans. And things have changed significantly.

That transformation - from unknown newcomer to recognized global brand - will be on full display in the broadcaster's 10 hours of live multiplatform coverage on Saturday. PSG vs. Arsenal kicks off at noon ET across the CBS, Paramount , CBS Sports Network, and CBS Sports Golazo Network. CBS Sports will have a full onsite production and deploy NEP Venus triple-expando IP UHD mobile unit, which was also used for last weekend's Women's Final in Oslo.

CBS Sports' UEFA Champions League studio show last hit the road in November for Paramount 's Destination Miami, a special match-day viewing party at Miami's waterfront. (Photo: Mary Kouw/CBS) Kate Scott hosts UEFA Champions League Today onsite in Budapest, alongside analysts Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Micah Richards - the four-person desk that has become central to the broadcast's identity. CBS will carry one hour of pre-match coverage and one hour of post-match coverage, with extended programming on Paramount . Radovich credits the onsite recognition to the talent fronting the broadcast.

These guys are rock stars, says Radovich, who serves as coordinating producer for the coverage. The four people who front this show are the face of this sport right now. There's no question about it. In Europe and around the world, there is no more prominent group of personalities representing this sport than this group, and it's earned. They're incredible at what they do. They're charismatic, likable, incredibly knowledgeable, and just really, really good at TV.

It's still surreal that we're an American show getting the recognition we do around the world, he continues. It doesn't make sense. It's truly the equivalent of a show in England covering the NFL, then going to America and having all the Americans freak out about this British show coming over to cover the NFL. It makes no sense, but that's exactly what's happened here.

As UEFA Relationship Grows, So Does Popularity Among Soccer Fans

Of course, the show's popularity carries over to its stateside viewership. CBS Sports posted its most-watched semifinals ever across CBS and Paramount this season, with the four matches up 17% versus last year. CBS Sports Golazo social channels generated nearly 6 billion video views over the season, which CBS says made it the top-ranked U.S. social-media brand for video views since the Champions League season began.

Pretty impressive, says David Berson, president/CEO, CBS Sports, considering that, just six years ago, we didn't even carry soccer. Now we're the global leader in the world's most popular sport, with over 2,000 matches annually and a dedicated 24/7 channel.

This weekend's production in Budapest is part of a larger trend for Berson and company. Last weekend in Oslo, CBS Sports produced its UEFA Women's Champions League studio show onsite - the first time a U.S. broadcaster has done so for the Women's Champions League final. Berson notes the broadcaster's deepening relationship with UEFA: beginning with the 2027-28 season, Paramount becomes the new home for the Champions League across additional territories: the UK and Ireland, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and most of South America.

Beyond the Main Broadcast: Beckham & Friends Live, Golazo Network

For Saturday, CBS Sports is again widening the ways fans can watch. The Paramount exclusive Beckham & Friends Live altcast streams simultaneously with the match at noon ET, with David Beckham in the broadcaster's chair from Budapest and Scott hosting the alternative feed alongside. Back for its second UCL final after debuting during the 2025 semifinals, the altcast features a guest list spanning Mick Jagger, David Schwimmer, Paddy Pimblett, Tony Parker, Mike D, Jack Whitehall, and Alessandro Del Piero.

CBS Sports Golazo Network has been previewing the final all week across live studio programming Morning Footy and Scoreline, with additional editorial coverage on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app, the Golazo Starting XI newsletter, and across @CBSSportsGolazo social accounts.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/05/29/increasingly-popular-cbs-sports...
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