NCAA Men’s Final Four semifinal and Championship Games in 3-D
Live 3-D Broadcasts Available in up to 100 Cinedigm Certified(TM) Digital Cinemas Nationwide and in Indianapolis at NCAA Bracket Town(TM) and Lucas Oil Stadium
CBS Sports teams up with the NCAA, LG Electronics USA and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. to present for the first-time ever the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four semifinal and national championship games in 3-D. The broadcasts will be available live in up to 100 Cinedigm Certified(TM) Digital Cinemas nationwide. Fans attending the festivities in Indianapolis also can view the games in 3-D on LG’s LCD HDTVs at locations throughout Lucas Oil Stadium and at the NCAA’s interactive fan event, Bracket Town refreshed by Coca-Cola Zero.
The games in 3-D on Saturday, April 3 (6:00-11:00 PM, ET) and Monday, April 5 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET) will be a fully-produced CBS Sports event with CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK announcers Dave Ryan and Steve Lappas calling the action. Together with LG Electronics USA, which is the Official 3-D Sponsor for CBS Sports’ NCAA Tournament broadcasts and Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, Cinedigm is bringing the excitement of the NCAA Men’s Final Four in stunning three-dimensional realism to tens of thousands of NCAA basketball fans in theaters across the land.
“CBS Sports has always been on the forefront of new technology to enhance the viewing experience,” said Ken Aagaard, executive vice president operations and engineering, CBS Sports. “Through our partnership with the NCAA and LG, and the technological innovations of Cinedigm, we are excited to be able to present Men’s Final Four weekend in 3-D offering fans an exciting and different way to view a major sporting event.”
“Bringing the Men’s Final Four to consumers in 3-D is a prime example of how LG strives to deliver something better – superior technology combined with an unparalleled viewing experience – for consumers,” said Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing, LG Electronics North America. “As the Official 3-D Sponsor, we are excited to partner with CBS Sports to bring consumers this immersive 3-D viewing experience and tap into the passion of college sports fans throughout the country.”
This unique sponsorship builds upon LG’s leadership in this emerging technology. LG Electronics, which introduced the first 3-D LCD sets in Korea last year, will be introducing this new feature in an extensive line of 3-D-enabled LED HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players in the United Sates beginning this May.
“The theater experience is changing dramatically,” said Bud Mayo, chairman and CEO of Cinedigm. “The Men’s Final Four is a signature event, with millions of fans clamoring to be among the few who get to see it in person. Cinedigm’s experience, having brought the 2009 BCS Championship and the 2009 NBA All-Star Saturday Night events to theaters in live 3-D, has shown us that fans who attend will feel as though they have courtside seats. We’re proud to work with our technology partner SENSIO and with our growing national network of top-quality theaters to help bring fans one step closer to courtside.”
Cinedigm’s robust digital cinema network has unparalleled experience in bringing the best in LIVE 3D entertainment to the widest number of 3-D cinema screens. Audiences at the first-ever live 3-D sports broadcasts last year hailed the revolutionary impact of seeing sports in 3-D, especially when seen in a movie theater. No other cinema network has the technological infrastructure and distribution know-how to enable this kind of large-scale, nationwide, 3-D event in U.S. theaters.
CBS Sports and LG Electronics also are working with NEP and 3-D expertise will be provided by world renowned 3-D innovator, Vince Pace, to deliver the broadcast in 3-D. Pace, has worked on the blockbuster movies Avatar and Titanic.
Cleveland Cavaliers fans set Guinness World Record at Cavs Snuggie Night
A sold-out crowd of Cleveland Cavaliers fans set the Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets” at the Cavs Snuggie(TM) Night presented by KeyBank at Quicken Loans Arena. The crowd donned custom-made Cavaliers Snuggie(TM) blankets for the first five cozy minutes of the March 5th game versus rivals the Detroit Pistons to set the World Record.
Guinness World Records(R) Adjudicator Danny Girton Jr. was on hand to officially certify the new record in front of fans during the game. Girton Jr. then presented the Cavaliers, KeyBank and Allstar Products Group, the maker of the Snuggie(TM) blanket, with a certificate recognizing the new record was set at 17,758. The fans in attendance received a commemorative magnet certifying their participation at the record-breaking event.
“We would like to thank our fans and congratulate them for their enthusiastic participation to land their place in the Guinness Book of World Records,” said Cavaliers President Len Komoroski. “Partnering with KeyBank and Snuggie(TM) blankets to create an event where our fans were an integral part of the success to give Cleveland the bragging rights of a Guinness World Record made it a community team effort that was all the more fun.”
“After months of planning, it was exciting to see the Cavs fans in their Snuggie(TM) blankets at The Q,” said Lisa Oliver, KeyBank Cleveland District President. “KeyBank was excited to partner up with Cavs and the fans to break this Guinness World Record and be part of something so positive and fun for the city of Cleveland.”
Scott Boilen, president and chief executive officer of Allstar Products Group said, “Cleveland fans are great. It was amazing to see so many participants enjoying the game wearing their Cavs Snuggie(TM) blankets.”
Starting March 6th, a limited number of Cavs Snuggie(TM) blankets are available at Cleveland KeyBank branches with the purchase of a qualified Key Possibilities(R) MasterCard(R) Gift Card. Visit a local northeastern Ohio KeyBank branch or www.cavs.com/snuggie for more details.
For additional information on the Cavs Snuggie(TM) Night presented by KeyBank visit www.cavs.com/snuggie.
Life-size Kobe Bryant trading card unveiled at NBA All-Star Festivities sets Guinness World Record
A giant trading card of Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant unveiled today by Panini America set the Guinness Record for World’s Largest Signed Game-Used Jersey Card. Bryant was at the NBA All-Star Jam Session to autograph the card, which includes a 15-inch-by-15-inch swatch of an official jersey he wore in a game. The card measured 7 feet high by 4 feet, 11 inches wide.
Panini America is the exclusive trading card partner of the NBA. This week Panini launched Adrenalyn with a national mobile tour that starts in Dallas during All-Star festivities.
Adrenalyn is an interactive trading card game, geared to children ages 6 to 11, that brings together the excitement of the NBA with the thrill of collecting a 450-card set featuring NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade and NBA rookies Tyreke Evans, Blake Griffin, and Brandon Jennings, among many others.
The front of each Adrenalyn card features an offensive, defensive, and overall rating so kids can play the game using the Adrenalyn game board. The unique authorization code on the back of each card allows kids to upload their cards online to a virtual collector’s album and play the game at www.paniniadrenalyn.com, a safe and secure site. Adrenalyn cards, collector’s kits and starter sets are available at all major retail stores including Wal-Mart, Target, Toys “R” Us, Kmart, and The Dollar Store, and online at NBAStore.com and at the NBA Store in New York City.
Source: Panini America