CBS and Turner’s new 14-year, $11 billion NCAA tournament coverage deal begins this year, which is great news for fans, as every single game will now air in its entirety across four networks — CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV.
With all of the games being broadcast on different channels, the viewing experience has dramatically changed. Instead of being taken to the game in the most critical situation by the network, viewers will instead be urged by announcers to change the channel to see the biggest moments unfold, according to ChicagoBusiness.com.
“[The viewer] is going to play the role CBS used to,” CBS Sports president Sean McManus said. “He’s going to have the controller in his hand. He’s not going to have to rely on some CBS executive deciding what game to put on. We’ve empowered the viewer.”
“There might be a game [on TNT] where there’s a 20-point deficit and the announcer will say, ‘On CBS, there’s a two-point game between Duke and Syracuse,'” Turner president David Levy said. “We’re going to tell viewers to go from one network to another. You won’t see this anywhere else.”
“An advertiser can’t just buy a commercial unit on CBS,” McManus said. “He has to buy on all four networks. We’re looking to get the largest cumulative audience possible. The biggest challenge is getting the word out on how it is going to be programmed. We have to make sure everyone understands that watching the tournament will be a whole new experience.”
According to Jim Nantz, March Madness in 2011 will be “a new world.”
Click here to view the full schedule for the first two rounds >>
For a printable copy of the bracket, click here.
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