The 2024 UEFA Champions League Final of Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund, has set a new streaming record for CBS and Paramount+. Despite not being the most-viewed game on the CBS TV channel, it was a significant hit in terms of online viewership.
Real Madrid's victory over Borussia Dortmund marked their 15th title win in the competition. The match was the third-most watched Champions League Final on US TV history with an average of 2.323 million viewers tuning into CBS to watch Real Madrid secure a 2-0 win.
Interestingly, this final is also noted as the most-watched UEFA Champions League Final on U.S. English-language television that did not feature an English club. The top two games had teams from England participating.
A stellar year for Paramount+
While specific numbers are not publicly available, CBS reports strong figures for those who streamed the game online via Paramount+. This makes it the most-streamed soccer match ever on Paramount+, excluding those who watched through traditional TV channels via CBS. This achievement underscores how popular streaming has become among sports fans and highlights how platforms like Paramount+ are becoming increasingly important outlets for major sporting events.
The successful streaming of this year's final caps off what has been a record-breaking season for Paramount+. The platform reported its most-streamed season of UEFA Champions League during the 2023/24 campaign. Several key matches were made available throughout this campaign including a quarterfinal game Manchester City vs Real Madrid which attracted over 1.11 million viewers - marking a significant increase from previous seasons' quarterfinal stages by about 25%.
Paramount+ also recorded double-digit year-over-year growth in three categories: households, minutes viewed and average minute audience (AMA). These metrics provide insight into how widespread the Champions League viewership is and how audiences are staying tuned into games for longer periods.
The future of Champions League streaming
The partnership between CBS and UEFA Champions League has proven to be a successful one. With the development of the CBS Sports Golazo Network, soccer has become a priority for the broadcaster.
CBS holds rights to broadcast UEFA Champions League until 2029/30 season, promising potential growth in this relationship.
As the competition enters a new format next year with more highlight fixtures in knockout stages, there's potential for more games on both Paramount+ and CBS TV channel - setting up possibilities for even more record-breaking performances from the broadcaster.
As sports streaming continues to grow in popularity among fans, platforms like Paramount+ are set to play an increasingly important role in delivering high-quality coverage of major sporting events like UEFA Champions League.
