Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA(R) Unveil NCAA(R) MARCH MADNESS(R) LIVE for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship
Tournament Coverage Expands to More Platforms than Ever Giving Fans More Ways - However, Wherever - to Watch All 67 Games Live
Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA today announced that NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live, formerly March Madness on Demand, will now provide college basketball fans with more opportunities to watch every minute of every game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Produced by Turner Sports Interactive, NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live is a suite of live products presented across multiple screens, including online and as an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch app and, for the first time, on Android phones.
NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live will be available to users across all video screens - online, mobile and tablet- and over Wi-fi and 3G for $3.99 beginning on March 7. Fans will be able to enjoy live streaming video of every broadcast for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship as they are televised by TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, starting with the NCAA Basketball Selection Show on Sunday, March 11, and continuing through the Men's Final Four(R) and National Championship Game from New Orleans on March 31 and April 2.
NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live will continue to be launched from NCAA.com, CBSSports.com and SI.com.
NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live will offer higher quality live video streams across platforms; video highlights for every game of the Tournament on the iPhone and Android phones; live game alerts for Android phones, as well as iPhones and iPads; an updated design; and live radio broadcast courtesy of Westwood One/Dial Global Radio Network, for all 67 games across the suite of digital products. In addition to the new offerings, NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live will again provide the same fan-favorite features from last year including: schedules and live game scoring, live tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, and live social companion views.
The NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live video player is presented by NCAA Corporate Champions AT&T, Capital One and Coke Zero. To generate fan excitement leading into March Madness Live coverage, Coke Zero will provide a limited number of fans the opportunity to receive free NCAA(R) March Madness(R) access. The promotion launches the week of Feb. 20.
"Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA are committed to providing the excitement of March Madness on as many screens as possible - television, online, mobile and tablets - for viewers to experience all of the exciting action of this great event wherever they are," said Matthew Hong, senior vice president and general manager of operations for Turner Sports. "Combining TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV with the enhanced offerings of the new NCAA(R) March Madness(R) product provides fans with instantaneous on-the-go access ensuring they won't miss a moment of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship."
"We continue to look at ways to bring the tournament to more of our fan base and keep them connected to the excitement that culminates with the Final Four," said NCAA interim executive vice president of championships and alliances Greg Shaheen. "NCAA(R) March Madness(R) Live is one of many options college basketball fans will have to watch this year's tournament how they want, when they want.
The 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship will be available through the following platforms:
· For the second consecutive year, all 67 games will be televised across four television networks in their entirety -- TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV.
· Turner will stream its linear television games online for free on an authenticated basis on the Turner websites (TBS.com, TNT.tv and truTV.com) for consumers who have a cable, satellite or telco subscription that includes these respective Turner networks. Authenticating this year's Tournament across the Turner Networks is an extension of the company's TV Everywhere initiative, which is currently available to over 75 million households.
· All games airing on CBS will be available for free on CBSSports.com.
NCAA(R) March Madness(R) features include:
· My Channels: Through My Channels, fans can easily find games using this personalized channel finder. By plugging in their zip code, users can select their TV provider and see their channel lineup for every game on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
· The Game Center View: The Game Center view provides fans with a control center at their fingertips for live in-game stats such as player stats, team leaders, scoring streaks, biggest lead and foul trouble, depending on which device they use - along with a graphic lead tracker - and live social features.
· The Coke Zero(TM) NCAA March Madness Social Arena: Extending the conversation beyond the broadcast, Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena will return as the social water cooler for March Madness conversation. New this year, features will be live across the entire NCAA March Madness suite of products and, for the first time, let fans grab key game moments and share them with friends and family. In addition, fans will be able to view social commentary from other fans and celebrities everywhere, answer live tournament trivia, and cheer for their favorite teams. The Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena will extend onto Coke Zero's Facebook page - offering a complete video gallery of all fan-grabbed moments, complete access to specially-aggregated Twitter feeds of all 68 teams, a uniquely-visualized bracket view of the loudest fans, and more.
NCAA March Madness will be played at 14 venues around the country beginning March 13. For more information, go to NCAA.com.
Last year, more than 176 million people tuned into the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
About CBS Sports
CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL's American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters(r) and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs CBS Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces INSIDE THE NFL for SHOWTIME; and partners with CBSSports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.
About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions - AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola - and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners - Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's (Hershey's), Unilever, UPS and Wheat Thins (Kraft).
NCAA, March Madness and Final Four are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $128.3 billion in deposits and $200.1 billion in total assets outstanding as of September 30, 2011. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Capital One Bowl Week. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot team, Capital One Academic All-America Program, and supports all 89 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.
About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
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