World Surf League signs US rights deals

The World Surf League has extended its rights deal with the CBS Sports division of US network CBS and has agreed a new partnership with Bleacher Report Live, the OTT sports service from media company Turner.

The deals will cover the 2018 WSL season and begin with the Founders’ Cup of Surfing event this weekend.

CBS Sports will televise more than 40 hours of coverage this season across CBS and CBS Sports Network, while Bleacher Report Live will distribute extensive live coverage and become the WSL’s official destination for video-on-demand content, replays and highlights.

CBS Sports’ coverage will also include the WSL Surf Ranch Open, the US Open of Surfing, Championship Tour stops and Big Wave Tour events. It will also air 15 one-hour WSL specials throughout the year.

Bleacher Report Live will provide live coverage of the entire Founders’ Cup, along with additional WSL events over the course of the season.

This weekend's Founders’ Cup will feature five teams representing USA, Brazil, Australia, Europe and a ‘world team’. The event will be held in Lemoore, California at the WSL Surf Ranch facility, which claims to have created the best man-made wave in history.