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David Beckham UEFA Champions League Altcast coming to Paramount+
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David Beckham UEFA Champions League Altcast coming to Paramount+

David Beckham and his friends will commentate on UEFA Champions League matches on Paramount+, under a two-year contract that will air on the streamer on a rotating basis.

Under the partnership, the “Beckham & Friends” altcast for CBS Sports’ UEFA Champions League coverage will be available as a new viewing option for Paramount+ subscribers. The Beckham-led versions will stream during UEFA Champions League Semifinal Leg 2 matches and the UEFA Champions League Final. The deal includes exclusive altcasts on Paramount+ in 2025 and ’26, where Beckham “will be joined by his friends from the worlds of sports, media and entertainment,” according to Paramount.

Beckham, the now-retired English soccer superstar, made the announcement Tuesday during a guest appearance on CBS Sports’ “UEFA Champions League Today” studio show. The 2024-25 season will begin on Sept. 17, with the traditional group stage replaced by a 36-team league format.

Beckham said the “watch party”-style altcast will likely feature a different celebrity friend each time. “I like to watch the game, and I like to watch the game in a certain way, and usually it’s with my kids or my friends,” Beckham said of commentary. “So it’s going to be something like this, where I sit there and watch the games, commentate on the games, with friends, and talk about the game and sometimes not the game.”

Watch a clip of Beckham’s announcement:

Earlier Tuesday, Beckham spoke at the Royal Television Society conference in London, where he talked about the Emmy-winning docuseries “Beckham” on Netflix, from his production company Studio 99. “I hated almost every moment of making it… it was very difficult,” he said.

Beckham’s deal with Paramount+ continues a trend of sports broadcasters presenting multiple versions of the same event, overlapping commentary teams and other features. The most prominent in the U.S. is “ManningCast,” ESPN’s popular live-broadcast series for NFL “Monday Fight Football” games hosted by superstar brothers Peyton and Eli Manning, now in its fourth season.

Paramount+’s “Beckham & Friends” is produced by CBS Sports in association with UEFA Champions League, Authentic and Relevent Sports Group.

UEFA Champions League is one of more than 1,500 live soccer matches available annually on Paramount+. The service is also the streaming home for CBS Sports’ live sports content, including NFL, college football and basketball, golf and soccer, including the UEFA Champions League and National Women’s Soccer League.