CBS could lose the NCAA Tourney after 2010. Here's the link:
Sports Media Watch: March Madness could leave CBS after '10.
Sports Media Watch: March Madness could leave CBS after '10.
CBS Could lose the NCAA Tournament after 2010
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For those wondering how the tourney would fare on ESPN, ESPN used to show tournament games frequently throughout the 1980s.
ESPN was quite different in those days. No ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic. No Erin Andrews.
However, they would treat it in such a way now that you wouldn't see any early round game in its entirety unless you subscribe to espn full court. People with satellite especially would get bits and pieces from games plus lots of commercials and halftime commentary and hd for those games wouldn't be available unless espn full court adds hd. If they do it, It's going to cost you money to see those games without them jumping around more than cbs already does.
I see several problems with the games on ESPN. The largest two, IMHO:
- ESPN's ability to go "regional" depends on 1000s of cable operators pushing the right buttons, and DirecTV and DISH laying in exactly the right blackout matrix. In the cases where ESPN goes regional now (Big 10 football split with ABC and ACC and SEC basketball tournament, and a couple of regular game, splits with Raycom) it has a very long lead time, and the decisions are driven on the other end (ESPN carries whatever the OTA channel does not). In this, ESPN would have to make decisions itself and as quickly as 36 hours ahead. I dare say no body at ESPN knows which game is of most interest to people in a particular zip code in Nebraska, and neither does anybody at DISH, DirecTV, nor at its cable company's distant corporate HQ. A receipe for confusion and mistakes.
- The self-appointed people who seem so concerned about "the poor's" "right" to sports on free OTA TV will come out of the woodwork. Particularly in the context of publicly supported colleges. And even if they do an OTA locally, how do you decide who get is. Many colleges have statewide support and are located in tiny DMA, or in DMAs in other states, etc. And if you do enough OTA special deals in a complex and random manner, it will play havoc with the regular pre-empted programming of all networks and thus the ratings.
CBS is the gold standard for sports broadcasting. It deserves to keep the tournament.
- ESPN's ability to go "regional" depends on 1000s of cable operators pushing the right buttons, and DirecTV and DISH laying in exactly the right blackout matrix. In the cases where ESPN goes regional now (Big 10 football split with ABC and ACC and SEC basketball tournament, and a couple of regular game, splits with Raycom) it has a very long lead time, and the decisions are driven on the other end (ESPN carries whatever the OTA channel does not). In this, ESPN would have to make decisions itself and as quickly as 36 hours ahead. I dare say no body at ESPN knows which game is of most interest to people in a particular zip code in Nebraska, and neither does anybody at DISH, DirecTV, nor at its cable company's distant corporate HQ. A receipe for confusion and mistakes.
- The self-appointed people who seem so concerned about "the poor's" "right" to sports on free OTA TV will come out of the woodwork. Particularly in the context of publicly supported colleges. And even if they do an OTA locally, how do you decide who get is. Many colleges have statewide support and are located in tiny DMA, or in DMAs in other states, etc. And if you do enough OTA special deals in a complex and random manner, it will play havoc with the regular pre-empted programming of all networks and thus the ratings.
CBS is the gold standard for sports broadcasting. It deserves to keep the tournament.
espn having the tournament would be awesome, especially for the first two days. think about it, espn has 4 networks that could show the games (espn, espn2, espn u, and espn classic) simultaneously. throw in local coverage on abc for your team of most local interest and you have a match made in heaven.
espn wouldn't likely use all of their resources. They like getting junk programing in more. The most networks going at one time would be two. espnu would have a game some of the time and espn/espn2 would be jump around coverage with if your lucky (in your home market) to your local teams game without going to a lot of other games during it.
My local CBS has shown 3 or 4 games at a time for the past 5 or so years on their digital feeds. Yes, I know it is not HD but it is pretty nice to be able to switch to other games that might be better than the game being covered on the primary feed.
Nobody has ESPN360 and Im sorry but if its between ESPN360 or March Madnes on Demand, Im using MMOD. I mean its a phenomonial job.
I do watch some of the womens tourney on ESPN and they dont do a good job on switching games. They do stay on games that are blowouts. I could understand if its local, ie, Uconn in Connecticut but they dont switch games that often.
I do watch some of the womens tourney on ESPN and they dont do a good job on switching games. They do stay on games that are blowouts. I could understand if its local, ie, Uconn in Connecticut but they dont switch games that often.
It'd be hard to imagine the NCAA tourney on any network but CBS. I bet CBS has aired it every season I"ve watched.
If it has to move, I'd rather see it on NBC. FOX would butcher it, ABC would ticker it and probably add in text instant messaging for good measure.
If it has to move, I'd rather see it on NBC. FOX would butcher it, ABC would ticker it and probably add in text instant messaging for good measure.
