First Ever 3D Broadcasts of US Open Spearheaded by Panasonic and CBS Sports
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS GIANT BECOMES OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF US OPEN IN NEW THREE-YEAR SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT
The USTA announced that consumer electronics giant Panasonic has become an official sponsor of the US Open in a new three-year agreement.
Working with CBS Sports, the USTA and Panasonic will spearhead the first-ever 3D broadcasts of the tournament. CBS Sports will produce 3D versions of all the Arthur Ashe Stadium matches that it broadcasts in High Definition on Labor Day Weekend and on Finals Weekend, September 10-12. These matches will be made available nationwide via DirecTV’s exclusive dedicated 3D entertainment channel, “n|3D Powered by Panasonic” (DirecTV channel 103).
On-site at the 2010 US Open, Panasonic will have three 3D viewing galleries–a 3D Panasonic Showcase located in the former International Tennis Hall of Fame Gallery on the floor level of Louis Armstrong Stadium, and another in SmashZone, the US Open’s interactive tennis experience for fans and families located in the state-of-the-art indoor facility and one more in the South Plaza area. Panasonic and DirecTV also will provide the US Open semifinal and final matches live in 3D to hundreds of TV retail outlets nationwide, including scores of Best Buy stores, as part of the September 10-12 “National 3D Demo Days” organized by the Consumer Electronics Association. Read more
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.
Countdown of the Greatest NCAA Tournament Games of the Decade
Countdown of the 10 Best NCAA(R) March Madness(R) games of the decade will lead up to the largest live sports event on the Internet, NCAA March Madness on Demand
CBSSports.com has announced that beginning today it will be unveiling the 10 best NCAA March Madness games from this decade, complete with the ability to watch video of the CBS Sports broadcast of the entire game. Each Wednesday, on both CBSSports.com and NCAA.com, CBSSports.com college basketball columnist Gary Parrish will unveil his selection of a great March Madness game from this decade until the No. 1 game of the decade is revealed on March 10, the week leading into CBS Sports’ broadcast of the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
Beginning with the Selection Show on CBS Sports on March 14, CBSSports.com will again provide NCAA March Madness on Demand, live video of 63 games from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, from the first round of the tournament through the semifinal and final games of the Men’s Final Four®. NCAA March Madness on Demand is the largest annual live sports event broadcast on the Internet and the only major sports event that is broadcast live and in its entirety for free on the Internet.
The second-round South Regional game from the 2007 tournament between Ohio State vs. Xavier was selected CBSSports.com’s Parrish as the 10th greatest March Madness game of this decade. In that contest, Ohio State rallied from an 11-point deficit in regulation, highlighted by a 3-pointer with two seconds left to force overtime. In the extra session, Mike Conley Jr. scored 11 points to lead the Buckeyes to a 78-71 victory over the Musketeers. College basketball fans can visit www.ncaa.com/mmod to watch a highlight package or video of the entire game.
“Counting down the greatest March Madness games of this past decade is the perfect way to lead up to one of the most anticipated sports events in the world,” said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports.com. “Preparations are in high gear to make this year’s version of March Madness on Demand the best yet and to again raise the bar of excellence for live sports events on the Internet.”
Over the course of the 2009-2010 college basketball season, CBSSports.com is providing College Basketball Live, live streaming webcasts of select CBS Sports broadcasts of the NCAA on CBS, featuring NCAA basketball games from the Big East, Big Ten and SEC conferences.
College Basketball Live is the culmination of an incredible year of video on CBSSports.com, cementing the site as the leading provider of live streaming sports video on the Internet. Over the course of 2009, CBSSports.com has provided live audio and video webcasts of over 11,000 games/events, more than all the other major sports media networks combined.
The CBSSports.com production of NCAA March Madness on Demand, providing live streaming video and audio of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, recorded 7.52 million unique visitors in 2009, a 58% increase over 2008 figures. Additionally, there were 8.6 million total hours of video and audio consumed, a 75% increase over 2008 figures.
Source: CBSSports.com