ISL Signs Multi-Year Media Contract With CBS Sports

CBS Sports has announced a multi-year media rights deal with the International Swimming League. CBS Sports will broadcast ISL events beginning next month.

CBS says the deal is a “multi-year agreement,” and that it will air coverage of all 13 ISL events live, with the exception of the season opener on October 16.

The deal is a bit of a shakeup for both the ISL and for competitive swimming. Last year, the ISL reached a deal with ESPN for broadcasting within the United States. That deal wasn’t announced until the day before the league’s first match. Televised swimming events have typically resided with ESPN (which holds the rights to NCAA Championships meets) and NBC (which holds Olympic broadcast rights and typically broadcasts World Championships as well).

The International Swimming League is in its second season as a professional swimming league centered around spectator-friendliness and athlete compensation.

Though the league envisioned a major launch to a 6-month, 27-meet season riding momentum from the 2020 Olympics, the coronavirus pandemic postponed the Olympics one year and forced the ISL into alternative plans. The new model will bring league athletes together in Budapest for a five-week training camp that will feature all of the league’s regular-season events. The league has also teased plans for an over-the-top streaming platform that would show behind-the-scenes footage of athletes in training and away from the pool during the five-week block.

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Gerald
4 years ago

Who pays whom in this arrangement? Does ISL pay CBS to broadcast/stream, or the other way around?

He Said What?
4 years ago

How many commercials and how many events will CBS edit out? Will we get 60% commercials and the rest filler?

DMacNCheez
Reply to  He Said What?
4 years ago

I’ve begun to think we have ourselves to blame for this issue. We create a meet with minimal to no breaks, then get appalled when big name networks who rely on ad money are forced to show ads over events. If the ISL can create natural breaks in the order of events, similar to timeouts in basketball or pre-inning warmups in baseball, then maybe we can see all of our events. It’s a little silly to hand a network 2 hours of non-stop content and expect them to just not show ads.

MZ/X
4 years ago

Is it known, what TV company will broadcast ISL events in Europe?

Admin
Reply to  MZ/X
4 years ago

Not announced yet. It was EuroSport last year.

Thank Goodness!
4 years ago

I’m just happy they found a legitimate household name to stream the meets instead of the broadcasting the meets on their website

Justin Thompson
4 years ago

Hmmm, wonder if they can get Rowdy in the booth?

Daeleb Cressel
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

Nothing against Rowdy, but I think a new and fresh announcer would be nice.

Drewbrewsbeer
Reply to  Daeleb Cressel
4 years ago

Ian Thorpe!

Joel
Reply to  Drewbrewsbeer
4 years ago

Great idea! Thorpey is a very good commentator. Add in Kurt Hansen and Rebecca Adlington and it’s perfect . Maybe that Andy guy too ( can’t remember his name).

NCSwimFan
Reply to  Daeleb Cressel
4 years ago

Missy did a really good job last go-round with commentary, would love to see her continue to get opportunities! I agree Adlington was great, and Thorpe would undoubtedly do a good job.

PhillyMark
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

Whomever they get to announce better be full of swimming

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  PhillyMark
4 years ago

Shane Tusup!

Coach Mike 1952
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

LOL

Breezeway
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

rather have the FINA guys, but I guess it would be a conflict of interest. 🤣

Last edited 4 years ago by Breezeway
Coach Mike 1952
Reply to  Breezeway
4 years ago

Nicole Livingstone & Bruce McAvaney are the two revered sports announcers that FINA utilized from Oz. Have always loved their commentary style. Bruce in particular is an avid fan of swimming. He called prior WC’s for FINA too & always is knowledgeable & respectful of ALL swimmers.

Olympian
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

Someone unbiased would be great

USAUSAUSA
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

I want ol longhorn and the swimswam troll of the month in the booth

Troyy
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

I hope not.

Aquajosh
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

I would go with Summer Sanders. People love her, she has a ton of high-level broadcasting experience, and clearly knows the sport.

Scottie
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

Josh Davis does a great job

Canswimfan
Reply to  Justin Thompson
4 years ago

No!!

Captain Ahab
4 years ago

The ISL is the future of competitive swimming. Everything else is irrelevant. It’s a waste of time to even train for the Olympics. ISL plays in favor of the shorter swimmers. If some minorities want to get into a sport that you do not need an agent and can potentially make a lot of money this is the route to go.

PVSFree
Reply to  Captain Ahab
4 years ago

How does it favor shorter swimmers? Just because it’s SCM and underwaters matter?

DBswims
Reply to  Captain Ahab
4 years ago

Um, you do realize swimming is one of the most popular sports people watch at the Olympics right? The Olympics is also the where most swimmers get their popularity.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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