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
Armanti Edwards wins 2009 Walter Payton Award
Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards was named the 23rd winner of the Walter Payton Award Thursday night at The Sports Network’s Football Championship Subdivision Awards Banquet, held at the Chattanooga Convention Center on the eve of the NCAA Division I Football Championship title game.
Edwards became the first player to capture the award in back-to-back seasons and the first two-time winner of the Payton Award. Appalachian State linebacker Dexter Coakley, who won the first two Buck Buchanan Awards in 1995-96 and James Madison coach Mickey Matthews, who won the Eddie Robinson Award in 1999 and again in 2008, are the only other two-time award winners at the FCS level.
The Payton Award, named for the legendary Jackson State and Chicago Bears running back, is presented annually to the top player in FCS.
“It is a great honor to win it again,” said Edwards. “But I wouldn’t have done any of this without the help of my teammates.”
The 6-foot-tall, 185-pound senior signal-caller became the first quarterback in NCAA history to pass for more than 10,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in his career. He ranked third nationally in total offense and fifth in passing efficiency in the regular season, and finished with 3,291 yards passing and 679 yards rushing, with 30 combined touchdowns for 2009.
For his career, Edwards finished with 14,753 yards of total offense, ranking him second on the all-time list behind Alcorn State great Steve McNair.
Edwards missed the first game of the year after a lawn mower badly lacerated his right foot at the beginning of training camp and required 35 stitches to close. He also sat out the final game of the regular season with an ACL strain.
The multi-talented quarterback led Appalachian State to its fifth consecutive Southern Conference title and playoff berth and had over 400 yards of total offense three times and over 300 yards seven times during the regular season.
For the second year in a row, Edwards finished first by a landslide, with 55 first-place votes and 431 points. Terrell Hudgins of Elon became the highest- placing receiver since Villanova’s Brian Finneran won the award in 1997, finishing second with 268 points, just ahead of Southern Illinois running back Deji Karim. (Full voting information is available at sportsnetwork.com)
The Walter Payton Award was established in 1987 by The Sports Network and previous winners of the honor include current NFL players such as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (2002, Eastern Illinois), Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook (2001, Villanova), and former Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair (1994, Alcorn State).
Source: The Sports Network
SIRIUS XM Radio Delivers Bountiful Sports Buffet for Memorial Day Weekend
SIRIUS XM offers motorsports tripleheader on Sunday, May 24, with F1(TM) Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR Coca-Cola 600
Throughout the weekend listeners nationwide get live play-by-play from the racetrack, diamond, ice, hardwood, golf course and soccer pitch
SIRIUS XM Radio announced that it will offer sports fans a full lineup of sports programming over Memorial Day Weekend, featuring live play-by-play action from IndyCar Series racing, Formula One(TM), NASCAR, Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL playoffs, PGA TOUR, English Premier League soccer and college baseball.
MOTORSPORTS: On Sunday, May 24, SIRIUS XM will broadcast the ultimate auto racing trifecta, featuring three of the biggest events on the motorsports calendar: the Formula One(TM) Grand Prix de Monaco (8:00 am ET on SIRIUS channel 126 and XM channel 242), the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series race (1:00 pm ET, XM channel 145 and SIRIUS channel 211 (“Best of XM”)), and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (5:45 pm ET, SIRIUS channel 128 and XM channel 128 (“Best of SIRIUS”)).
SIRIUS XM will also broadcast the Carquest Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday, May 23 (7:30 pm ET, SIRIUS channel 128 and XM channel 128 (“Best of SIRIUS”)).
NBA: SIRIUS XM will broadcast every game of the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Finals, carrying the team radio broadcasts of the Cavaliers, Magic, Lakers and Nuggets. (XM channels 232 and 233, SIRIUS channels 219 and 220 (“Best of XM”)). Visit www.xmradio.com/nba and www.sirius.com/nba for listings.
NHL: SIRIUS XM will also broadcast every game of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, carrying the team radio broadcasts of the Penguins, Hurricanes, Red Wings and Blackhawks (XM channels 204 and 205, SIRIUS channels 208, 211 and 212 (“Best of XM”)). Visit www.xmradio.com/nhl and www.sirius.com/nhl for listings.
MLB: XM listeners will get every Major League Baseball game from coast-to-coast throughout the weekend on XM channels 175 to 189. (Schedule available at www.xmradio.com/mlb). Fans can also tune in to MLB Home Plate, the only radio channel dedicated to covering MLB seven days a week, 365 days a year, for daily baseball talk and analysis (XM channel 175 and SIRIUS channel 210 (“Best of XM”)).
PGA: SIRIUS XM will offer live hole-by-hole coverage of the HP Byron Nelson Championship PGA TOUR event this Thursday, May 21, through Sunday, May 24, on The PGA TOUR Network (XM channel 146 and SIRIUS channel 209 (“Best of XM”)).
EPL: On Sunday, May 24, SIRIUS XM will broadcast two English Premier League soccer matches: Chelsea v. Sunderland (11:00 am ET, SIRIUS channel 125 and XM channel 102 (“Best of SIRIUS”)) and Newcastle United v. Aston Villa (11:00 am ET, SIRIUS channel 126 and XM channel 103 (“Best of SIRIUS”)).
NCAA Baseball: On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, XM subscribers and SIRIUS subscribers with the “Best of XM” can hear college baseball conference tournament games from the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC. Visit www.sirius.com/collegesports and www.xmradio.com/collegesports for listings.
Mad Dog Radio: On Memorial Day, May 25, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, host of Mad Dog Unleashed on SIRIUS XM’s Mad Dog Radio channel (SIRIUS channel 123 and XM channel 144) will host a two-hour special examining baseball’s all-time greatest teams. The program, airing at 8:00 am ET, 1:00 pm ET, 6:00 pm ET and 11:00 pm ET, will determine the greatest all-time team from each of the 30 MLB franchises and will feature interviews with baseball historians and some of the game’s greatest players, including Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, 9-time all-star catcher and 1971 NL MVP Joe Torre, 16-time Gold Glove-winner Jim Kaat and others. The 30 highlighted teams, plus two wild card teams, will be seeded into a tournament bracket posted at www.sirius.com/maddogbaseball and on Tuesday, May 26, fans can log on and begin casting their votes to determine the greatest baseball team of all-time.
CBSSports.com to Broadcast 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four Live Online
NCAA(R) March Madness(R) on Demand caps off record growth with live web cast of semifinal and final games of the Men’s Final Four(R)
CBSSports.com, in partnership with CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the NCAA will provide a live online broadcast of the Men’s Final Four semifinal and championship games of the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship via NCAA March Madness on Demand (ncaa.com/mmod). It will be just the second time ever that a major U.S. sporting event has been shown live and in its entirety on the Internet.
The continued success of NCAA March Madness on Demand builds on the growth of the broadcast of the tournament on the CBS Television Network. CBS Sports’ coverage through the first four rounds of the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is up +7% in the metered markets from 2008.
The 2009 Men’s Final Four features the University of Connecticut (uconnhuskies.com), Michigan State University (msuspartans.com), the University of North Carolina (tarheelblue.com) and Villanova University (villanova.com). For the second consecutive year, the official web sites for all four schools participating in the Men’s Final Four are managed and produced by CBS College Sports.
NCAA March Madness on Demand traffic figures through Sunday, March 29
- 6.92 million unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player (2008 figure was 4.43 million — 56% growth)
- 8.04 million total hours of live streaming video and audio consumed (2008 figure was 4.69 million – 71% growth)
- 2.7 million clicks of the “Boss Button” (2008 figure was 2.5 million for entire tournament)
This year’s record growth was driven by an extensive promotional campaign across all CBS platforms that helped drive awareness and excitement for this year’s tournament. NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) is the Emmy award-winning video player that provides live streaming video and audio of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Since its inception in 2003, MMOD traditionally provided live video of the first 56 games, starting with the first round, of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship as they were broadcast by CBS Sports, with local broadcasts being subject to blackouts. Beginning in 2008, MMOD started showing all 63 games from the first round of the tournament through the semifinal and final games of the Men’s Final Four, making it the only major sporting event that is broadcast live and in its entirety for free on the Internet. NCAA March Madness on Demand is available internationally as well.
NCAA March Madness on Demand can be viewed through a standard video player and a High-Quality option, both offered free of charge by presenting sponsors and NCAA Corporate Champions AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Pontiac.
Source: CBSSports.com