CBSSports.com has decided to broadcast ALL March Madness games – including games on local TV and the Final Four games – as a part of its March Madness On Demand online product.
Until now, the network has protected its affiliates by maintaining roughly the same blackout rules online as it has on air and in its DirectTV out-of-market package, essentially keeping the “local” games TV only. It also has stopped coverage after the first 56 games. Both decisions were meant to protect the TV franchise.
The changes show some growth in the thinking of CBS (NYSE: CBS) Sports, the NCAA and the affiliates, aided by the success of previous years and some proof that most people who have a choice between watching March Madness on TV versus a computer will pick the former. (Then there are those of us who use a combination to watch multiple games at once.) Jason Kint, SVP and GM of CBSSports.com told me: ”It’s an across-the-board decision by all the partners that this is additive—not cannibalistic.” Kint said affiliates were part of the discussions. “I think they appreciate that the main consumers watching MMOD are doing it at work.”
If I’m not at a bar watching multiple games with friends, I utilize the MMOD to watch a game that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to see on local TV. Also, it’s nice to be able to switch over to a close game with ease. This is the kind of forward thinking that the NFL should try next time DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket monopoly expires.
