Paramount+ can get better, just like every other streaming platform can improve. Yesterday we looked at Peacock. Today it’s Paramount+’s turn.
This is not necessarily a slight to Paramount+ and what CBS does with its paid-streaming service. In fact, the Champions League coverage and Serie A coverage are among the best for studio coverage that we have here in the United States. Both programs are informative, entertaining and abundant in their coverage throughout those campaigns. It helps to have the talent and behind-the-scenes action those crews possess.
Looking back at CBS All Access, the former name of Paramount+ before its rebrand, a jump is noticeable. Acquisition of more properties certainly helps that. Since launching back in 2014, the platform did not prioritize soccer. That is not the case anymore, especially given the last couple of years. Last season debuted Serie A, and just before that came the UEFA Champions League.
Now, Paramount+ is the American viewership home of the Asian Football Confederation, CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, NWSL, Scottish Premiership and much more.
On the other hand, the point remains. Paramount+ can improve. So, here are a handful of things that we, as soccer fans exclusively, would like to see out of the platform.
How Paramount+ can improve for soccer fans
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1. Add a rewind feature
In soccer, the best plays can start well before a goal is scored. Either that, or some moments warrant a second glance because they are so breathtaking. The little 10-second rewind option on ESPN+ allows fans to see something and get another look at it.
Sure, replays and VAR may force us to watch whether or not a player used his or her hand on the ball on endless repeat. Yet, there are always instances that may fly under the radar that stand out for us.
2. Select Champions League audio in multicast
Personally, I am a fan of natural crowd noise. That is not what this refers to.
During the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, Paramount+ launched a multicast that displayed simultaneous games on one screen. It is an awesome feature that allows fans to keep track of two games at the same time. It is like a continuous Golazo! Show.
However, the one issue is that someone at CBS selects which audio plays. This is fine, as that person just chooses the audio of which game has more excitement in one particular moment. Yet, in the event that both games have drama unfolding at once, it would be nice to have the user select which audio THEY want to listen to.
3. Promote the lesser-known competitions
Whenever I enter Paramount+, the first thing I see is the slider. There, the platform promotes a TV show or movie on the first slide. Or, it may show its coverage of the UEFA European competition on that day.
I would like to see more promotion of things like the AFC Champions League, NWSL or the domestic leagues down in South America. Nothing wrong with propping up the Champions League, just have to share the love. Of all the areas Paramount+ can improve, this seems the most beneficial to soccer as a whole in the U.S.
4. Expand the multicast feature for more options
This one may be a little ambitious. With the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, there can be as many as eight games in one competition at the same time. The Champions League, for its part, does no more than four games in one time slot.
However, it would be ideal to have an option to select two games, or even more, to watch on one screen at the same time. Combine that with the audio select choice brought up previously, and watching European competition is a new level of enjoyment.
5. Deliver on-demand games faster
Consistency is key. Oftentimes, Paramount+ releases finished games later than some fans may want. Instead of having the ability to dive into a game practically after it finishes to watch it in case you missed it, fans may have to wait.
As it stands, the earlier the better. Especially for those games from Europe, when fans rush home after work to watch the games that night.
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David the Yank
October 4, 2022 at 2:30 pm
Hey! My Paramount+ (on PC) has rewind/pause/forward live games. Is this brand new? Or did I miss an announcement at the start of the CL campaign? THANK YOU CBS! Well done!!
David the Yank
October 4, 2022 at 2:31 pm
watching the marseille game. It says “pause, rewind & fast forward SELECT live matches” [emphasis mine]. Bayern match has it too.
SteveK
October 4, 2022 at 2:40 pm
What platform are you on? I just noticed the same on my Apple TV and the “Play from Beginning” button now works as well. Another observation, it also works on the pre-game show, you can rewind and fast forward through commercials as well.
JP
October 4, 2022 at 6:23 pm
Not available for the Argentinian league match right now, so will have to wait until Saturday to see if Serie A is included in ‘select live matches’ and not just UCL
greg
October 4, 2022 at 2:48 pm
Seeing it also, on chrome on mac osx.
JP
October 4, 2022 at 2:54 pm
Came here to say this, DVR controls on AppleTV haven’t tried the Fire Stick yet.
FINALLY!
JP
October 4, 2022 at 5:31 pm
Works on Fire Stick too
JP
October 4, 2022 at 3:06 pm
The crowd noise is still a huge issue. I’d prefer more natural noise vs the announcer talking. Watching tot/fra now and while it’s supposed to be very Loud at the stadium, the tv sound is low from the crowd
JP
August 31, 2022 at 4:46 pm
Paramount+ ended the feed of the Napoli match moments before a key free kick for the studio post game following the Juve match. Not cool Paramount+, wait for both matches to be over or only do the studio coverage on one match!!
Eric
August 28, 2022 at 10:18 am
I am very grateful to have access to the Italian language commentary on Serie A matches.
However….
On the two big matches the past couple of weekends – Atalanta-Milan last week and Juventus-Roma yesterday – the audio track was out of sync with the video. Both the sound from the stadium and the commentary were a full 2-3 seconds behind the video.
Does anyone know why this would be and why they would not notice and correct the problem?
JP
August 28, 2022 at 10:47 am
@Eric, I didn’t notice that…but both those matches had one thing in common, commentary from Andres and Matteo instead of the world feed. Maybe was an issue with their sync
Eric
August 30, 2022 at 11:02 pm
Yes, I thought that might have something to do with it.
Can anyone do anything to notify them of this problem so that it might be corrected in future broadcasts?
dave
August 28, 2022 at 8:20 pm
Audio out of sync was common with Copa America Femenina 2022 streaming, which I believe was ViX (televised games on TUDN(?) were in sync). Streaming audio was often 2-3 seconds ahead of video, killing a bit of suspense
.
Good question as to why ViX (or in your case Paramount+) would not notice and fix it. I believe @JP provides a plausible explanation
Hans
August 19, 2022 at 9:35 am
The Athletic reports:
“CBS, Viacom and Paramount have agreed a six-year deal for the rights, in a total package worth $1.5billion, which breaks down to $250million per season.”
There you go 6 more years of European Football on Paramount + which certainly is to my liking hopefully they will do the same with Serie A.
Ra
August 19, 2022 at 10:09 am
Thanks for the info. Good news. I am just waiting to see who gets Libertadores rights. Unless ESPN+ gets it in the next 4 days, I am not doing annual. Will not have much time to watch sports in 22/23 anyway.
locofooty
August 19, 2022 at 10:10 am
Good to see. Fully expect Univision to retain the rights just like with UEFA nat’l team rights as the UCL will be their main driver for VIX+ subscriptions.
JP
August 19, 2022 at 10:45 am
Wealth of good news this Friday morning, 1st Eredivisie back and now UCL on Paramount+ for the foreseeable future. As @Ra mentions, Copa Libertadores the only other big shoe yet to drop. Would make so much sense on Paramount+ since they carry Brasileirao which pretty much dominates Libertadores.
Jim
August 15, 2022 at 1:52 pm
The biggest thing for me is being able to start a match that is currently airing from the beginning and be able to rewind/pause/ff during a live broadcast.
Michael F
August 11, 2022 at 3:19 pm
@JP Totally agree with you for point #2. Been saying this for while. Picture quality for matches on ESPN+ and Peacock definitely superior and a consistently good stream. Can’t say that about Paramount+.
Walter
August 11, 2022 at 1:45 pm
Paramount+ doesn’t show Champions league /Europa league anthems or lineups on replays, not a very good service.
Sean
August 11, 2022 at 2:20 pm
Totally agree, this must be added to replays. Wouldn’t take that much effort and it would allow the viewer to see the team news, instead of trying to check it online without being spoiled on the result
SteveK
August 11, 2022 at 1:43 pm
Can be summed up by saying be more like Peacock in functionality:
If you can’t do multicast right where the viewer selects the audio they want, stop doing it until you can;
Do add DVR, pause and rewind to start within live games just like Peacock has;
Do improve your picture quality just like Peacock has;
Don’t raise prices, stay right where you are, just like Peacock has and lure disaffected former ESPN+ customers to your side.
I’d add a few more suggestions:
Whatever Kate Abdo wants pay her, she is Rebecca Lowe’s only rival and in a few months time I expect Richard Deitsch to write a column about how Rebecca and Kate are the two best sports studio hosts across all American sports;
Whatever Thierry Henry wants pay him, he is as interesting and unique on air as Wrighty;
Whatever the ref Christina Unkel wants pay her and feature her more regularly in studio;
Whatever Lianne Sanderson wants pay her, she is a sassy, un-mannered fresh perspective;
Do continue the in stadium and pitch side commentaries from the likes of Alex Scott, Peter Schmeichel, Nedum Onuoha, Raph Honigstein, Guillem Ballague and Julien Laurens, they are all excellent;
Tone down the bantz, the forced jocularity and cackling between Jamie Carragher and the most overexposed soccer personality in the world Micah Richards…less faux Fox NFL like verbal jabs and just a little more analysis. These two are not Shaq and Barkley. Their schtick is nowhere near as funny or beneficial as they think. So, give them some better direction before they sink even lower;
I also worry about Nico Cantor devolving into even more of a caricature of himself with his accents and overly mannered pronunciations but I fear that’s a lost cause already, he’s benefiting from the big push behind the scenes like Erin Andrews has and the sky’s the limit for him.
Hans
August 11, 2022 at 2:24 pm
Spot on with your take again. I would love to see some of the journalists that have access to clubs comment, like Gabe Marcotti or Sid Lowe they often provide inside stories to what we are wondering but then I am sure they have ironclad contracts with ESPN and are flogging La Liga.
.
Gabe Marcotti comment on Serie A would be tasty.
Sean
August 11, 2022 at 12:33 pm
The final point is the most feasible and crucial. I remember a few agonizing waits trying to fit in a game at night, but not seeing the replay posted yet. They could learn a thing or 2 from the other streaming services. One other thing they should work on that isn’t asking much is audio problems. Often on the paramount+ champions league broadcasts, I notice the announcer is ahead of the play on the field, or Vice versa. Also, the crowd can sometimes sound muted because the audio mixing is heavily focused on the announcer and not the crowd noise. The one time they did get that right was man city atletico last season in Madrid, but it needs to be consistent. NBC has always had great audio for crowds. Do European fans justice!
JP
August 11, 2022 at 12:29 pm
Can be summed up by saying “become more like ESPN+” in functionality”
–
1. DVR controls. Long rumored, sometimes able to rewind 10-30 seconds, other times not. Need full DVR controls like ESPN+
2. Improve picture quality. Not sure if it’s a bandwith issue, but UCL picture quality always looks poor. Noticed for the Super Cup between Real Madrid and Frankfurt as well. Almost like too many views and Paramount+ can’t keep up. Happened with a USMNT match too, except was visibly worse for that. Serie A picture quality is always good, maybe because less people streaming it?
3. Revamp the “live” tab so sports/news are listed 1st instead of all the fake live channels that simply replay old (sometimes decades old) shows on loop.
4. Multicast would be nice