Tournament Televised Online

[Mean Green 93-98]

In case any of you were not aware, you can watch all the NCAA Tournament games online at http://www.cbssports.com/.

[UNT90]

This thing is great. Really good quality video. You can see all the games with no need to buy a television package. I'll be at home tonight with the big screen on and the lap top in my lap.

Finally, CBS does something right with this tournament. I still pray that when the contract is up, ABC/ESPN pries this thing away from CBS. So many mistakes they have made.

[BonfireBrian]

This thing is great. Really good quality video. You can see all the games with no need to buy a television package. I'll be at home tonight with the big screen on and the lap top in my lap.

Finally, CBS does something right with this tournament. I still pray that when the contract is up, ABC/ESPN pries this thing away from CBS. So many mistakes they have made.

Didn't CBS just sign a new contract that keeps the tournament on CBS for another 7-10 years or so?

[CMJ]

Didn't CBS just sign a new contract that keeps the tournament on CBS for another 7-10 years or so?

That was acouple years back, but yes.

I don't think CBS is gonna give up the tournament without a fight. They've had it for nearly 30 years now.

(BTW- this March madness on Demand isn't a new feature...this is at least the 4th year they've had it)

[UNT90]

That was acouple years back, but yes.

I don't think CBS is gonna give up the tournament without a fight. They've had it for nearly 30 years now.

(BTW- this March madness on Demand isn't a new feature...this is at least the 4th year they've had it)

Shows you how old we are. I, too, thought this contract was only a couple of years ago, but heard during the tournament that the it was an eleven year, 60 billion dollar contract that was signed in 1999. THERE IS HOPE.

While CBS may have had the contract for the final 4, I vividly remember ESPN doing the first and second round games until the 1999 contract (or maybe the contract before that). I know all through the late 80s and early 90s, ESPN was responsible for the 1st and 2nd round games. I still fondly remember watching ESPN go from one exciting finish to another without any needless commentary from the three idiots in the studio. I also remember my disgust during the first years of CBS having the first and second round games, watching them cut to the studio so one of the three idiots could tell us we were going to an exciting finish, then cutting to the "exciting finish" only to see the winning team celebrating on the floor.

CBS has only gotten moderately better (or maybe I'm just scarred from those early years, some wounds just don't heal). I think the reason the internet feed is free is mainly due to give up by the folks at CBS. Can't figure out how to effectively cut to exciting finishes? That's OK, we'll just give the people an internet feed and they can do it themselves.

Rant over.

[CMJ]

CBS got first round games starting with the 1991 tournment, I remember this quite well. Before that they had exclusive rights beginning in the 2nd round(they like showing games on the weekends), but would still show two first round games(the late night 1st round games from West Coast sites - I also remember this quite well, watching Loyola Maramount in 1990 after Hank Gathers passed away).

So CBS has had from the 64 to the Championship game since 1991.

Edited March 24, 2009 by CMJ