CBS has been removed from YouTube TV due to a carriage dispute; the World Cup of Hockey is returning in 2028; the USL is planning to launch a Tier I men’s soccer league, and more.
Paramount networks off YouTube TV
The networks of Paramount Global, including CBS and CBS Sports Network, were removed from YouTube TV Thursday as part of a carriage dispute between the two companies. In a statement, YouTube TV said that it will offer subscribers an $8/month rebate if the dispute lasts for an extended period.
The dispute comes as CBS is ramping up its college basketball coverage approaching next month’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Affected fans can access over-the-air CBS content via an antenna or Paramount+.
Update: the two parties reached a short-term extension Thursday night, followed by a full long-term renewal Saturday night, restoring the Paramount networks to the service with only around twelve hours of interruption.
World Cup of Hockey returning in ’28
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Wednesday the return of the World Cup of Hockey, which will be held on a quadrennial basis beginning in 2028. The NHL-sponsored tournament has been held intermittently since its debut in 1996, but has not returned since the third edition in 2016. The NHLPA also announced their agreement to participate. The league will soon accept bids from host locations. The tournament will be held in February, which will necessitate a pause in the NHL regular season.
Bettman and the NHLPA also reaffirmed their commitment to allow NHL players to compete in next year’s Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014. An Olympic break would presumably also be required to facilitate the February tournament in Italy.
The World Cup tournament remains unrelated to the annual Ice Hockey World Championships, organized by the Olympic-sanctioned IIHF.
USL planning new Tier I league
Sports Business Journal reports that the USL, which operates Tier II and Tier III professional soccer leagues in the US, is preparing to launch a Tier I league to compete directly with Major League Soccer. The new league plans to begin play in the 2027-28 season with twelve teams.
MLS is the only men’s league to ever recieve Tier I accreditation from US Soccer. Two Tier I men’s leagues have never existed simultaneously in the US.
The last men’s league to seek Tier I status, the now-defunct North American Soccer League, launched a failed antitrust lawsuit against MLS and US Soccer, alleging the two entities of colluding to stop the existence of a competing league.
USL also operates the women’s USL Super League, which does maintain Tier I status alongside the existing NWSL. USL Championship (the Tier II men’s league) has current media rights deals with ESPN and CBS, with most matches on streaming platforms.
Plus: UFL, Super Bowl ad, MLB Network
— ESPN announced Wednesday that Joe Tessitore will be the network’s lead play-by-play voice for the upcoming UFL spring football season, replacing Mike Monaco and Drew Carter, who shared the role last season. Also joining UFL coverage is Mark Jones, who will split the #2 booth with Roy Philpott during the NBA playoffs.
— Jack Abernathy, CEO of Fox Corporation’s owned-and-operated stations group, has apologized after three local Fox stations aired an ad for Kanye West merchandise, which contains strongly antisemitic imagery, during Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX. Abernathy expressed regret for running the ads and condemned the antisemitic content.
— MLB Network will move to a new production facility beginning in 2028, leaving the Secaucus studio in which it has operated since 2010 for a new studio in Elmwood Park, NJ. MLB Network will produce local games for five teams this season, in addition to games exclusive to Apple TV+ and the network’s own lineup.
