For the first time ever, CSTV will air two first-round out-of-market games from the 2007 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in their entirety, complementing sister company CBS Sports’ exclusive live network coverage of the tournament.
CSTV will make its March Madness debut Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16, with specific times and games to be determined at a later date. The broadcasts will be fully produced by CBS Sports with CBS announcers and graphics.
The CSTV telecasts will still be offered as part of CSTV and CBS’ broadband March Madness on demand package, as well as DirecTV’s “Mega March Madness” out-of-market pay-per-view service.
Also, much like last year, CSTV will air programming related to the tournament, including:
• Crystal Ball Presented by Xbox Live: Countdown to the Bracket Sunday, March 11 at 5:30 p.m., leading into the official Selection Show on CBS Sports;
• Bracket Breakdown Picked Up by theUnited StatesPostal Service, immediately following CBS Sports’ Selection Show;
• Full Court Press, beginning Wednesday, March 14 and continuing throughout the tournament, featuring coverage of teams at every tournament site and every press conference prior to, during and after all of the games;
• NCAA March Madness Pregame Show Presented by Xbox Live, Thursday, March 15 at 11:30 a.m., just before the initial games tip off on CBS;
• NCAA March Madness Highlights on CSTV Powered by Pontiac, providing highlights after the games end each day;
• CSTV Live from the Final Four Friday, March 30from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, featuring each team’s practice session.
• The NCAA Salute Friday, March 30from 8 p.m.-9 p.m., hosted by CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz -- an annual tradition at the Men’s Final Four featuring the coaches and players from each of the remaining teams, which has never before been broadcast; and
• TheNational Championship Pregame Show live from the Georgia Dome Monday, April 2 from 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
In other March Madness developments, CBS officials said the network signed up 250,000 participants for the free broadband offering, about 15,000 off last year’s early signup total. CBS added that it has sold more than $10 million in ad sales for NCAA March Madness On Demand.
