CBS, home to NFL Games, NCAA March Madness games and PGA Tour events like The Masters, is making its first steps into the sports gambling arena.

CBS Sports will stream “SportsLine Edge,” a sports gambling show, on its CBS Sports HQ streaming video network. The program debuted on Thursday, tied to the launch of the NFL season. 

“SportsLine Edge” will stream in the early evenings on Mondays and Thursdays (ahead of the national prime-time NFL games) and during the early afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays (ahead of the afternoon weekend games). It will expand to seven days a week later this year.

The show will focus on “metrics-driven analysis and actionable advice from trusted SportsLine and CBS Sports Digital experts and Vegas insiders,” per CBS.

Sports gambling has been a hot topic since the Supreme Court paved the way for states to legalize the practice in a ruling earlier this year. 

For media companies like CBS, there is a tightrope to walk.

They count the sports leagues as partners, and the leagues in general are not supportive of gambling on their games. Conversely, there is a clear consumer demand for content around sports gambling, and if it becomes legal in most states, that demand would only grow.

ESPN, for example, has occasionally done some gambling-related segments in its midnight “SportsCenter,” but has thus far looked to digital for its betting content. Meredith Corp. has used the prospect of gambling to try and bolster the sale price for Sports Illustrated.

CBS, so far, is taking the same approach as ESPN, gingerly entering the sports gambling field, but keeping that content focused on digital.

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/324843/cbs-tiptoes-onto-sports-gambling-bandwagon-with-st.html