When the International Swim League first debuted, it had trouble with advertising and finding a stable place for viewers to watch. The best they could manage was a spot with ESPN3, ESPN’s non televised, online streaming platform. Rumors floated around talking about the potential creation of a subscription service similar to that of NBA League Pass and NFL Game Pass. In spite of its efforts, though, the ISL struggled to find a platform with large viewership that could help boost the popularity of the league.
Recently, CBS Sports and the ISL announced that they reached a multi-year agreement to be the media rights partner for the ISL. A partnership with a television network of this caliber is a huge step forward for the league and will boost its popularity and revenue.
The ISL founder and chairman Konstantin Grigorishin said the following in a statement:
“We are thrilled with this partnership and the commitment made by CBS to air all ISL events live to its North American audience. From the beginning, the team at CBS really impressed us with their understanding of our vision,…This partnership will provide a wonderful platform to showcase the world’s best swimmers, female and male, challenging each other in the most entertaining competitive format ever created in the sport.”
CBS Sports Executive Vice President of Programming Dan Weinberg also spoke on the topic stating, “We are pleased to add International Swimming League to the CBS Sports portfolio with live swimming across various platforms,…ISL’s exciting team-based competitions, featuring the world’s top swimmers, is a great fit for CBS Sports and we look forward to bringing the action to swim fans across the country.”
The second season will air starting in early October and take place in Budapest, Hungary due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Australia. The second season will only be five weeks long and will have no in-person attendance and strict protocols to ensure safety for all athletes and staff. The Grand Finals location and dates have yet to be announced.
The league also continues to grow with the official announcement of two new teams, the Toronto Titans and the Tokyo Frog Kings (the nickname of four-time Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima). The addition of two new teams continues to expand ISL’s audience and revenue. With Hubert Montcoudiol’s (head of commercial operations) efforts to reach out to top broadcasters in the United States and Europe, the International Swim League could potentially broadcast live to more than 80 countries.