CBS’ and CBS College Sports’ Plans for Selection Weekend

As we get ready for Selection Sunday, the big conference tournaments are ramping up and by Sunday night around 6:45, we should know the entire field of 65. While Championship Week is mostly for ESPN, CBS and its sister network, CBS College Sports have their share of tournaments this weekend. Let’s take a look at their plans for the weekend. We have three releases from them.

CBS SPORTS’ CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTED BY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF “NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW”

Conference Championships for Conference USA, Pac-10, Atlantic-10 and Big Ten Featured on

Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14

CBS Sports’ coverage of CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND is highlighted by the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW on Sunday, March 14 (6:00-7:00 PM, ET), with the exclusive, live, first-time announcement of the pairings for the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. 

CBS Sports begins CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND on Saturday, March 13 (11:30 AM, ET) with the Conference USA Championship followed by the Big Ten Semifinals (1:40 PM, ET). The Pac-10 Championship concludes Saturday’s quadruple-header coverage (6:00 PM, ET).     

On Sunday, THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOURÒ tips-off the day (12:00 Noon-1:00 PM, ET) followed by national coverage of the Atlantic-10 Championship (1:00 PM, ET) and the Big Ten Championship (3:30 PM, ET).  The SELECTION SHOW wraps up an exciting weekend of college basketball on the CBS Television Network.

Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis host the SELECTION SHOW live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg join Gumbel, Anthony and Davis via satellite from the site of the Big Ten Championship, Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.  In addition, Dan Guerrero, Chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee will be on live from NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday and Sunday. Gumbel, Anthony and Davis also host AT THE HALF, CBS Sports’ halftime studio show, and THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR.

Eric Mann serves as Senior Producer and Bob Matina directs the Network’s coverage.  Steve Scheer produces from Indianapolis.

  Harold Bryant is Vice President, CBS Sports.

Following are the weekend talent and production assignments:

Saturday, March 13 – Quadrupleheader

11:30 AM, ET

Conference USA Championship – Gus Johnson/Dan Bonner

1:40 PM, ET

Big Ten Semifinals – Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg

6:00 PM, ET

Pac-10 Championship – Dick Enberg/
Bob Wenzel

Sunday, March 14 – Doubleheader

1:00 PM, ET

Atlantic 10 Championship – Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery

3:30 PM ET

Big Ten Championship – Nantz/Kellogg

The Network’s exclusive live broadcast coverage of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tips off with first-round action on Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19 (12:00 NOON-5:00 PM, ET and 7:00 PM-12:00 AM, ET, both days) and concludes with the Final Four and Championship game on Saturday, April 3 (6:00-11:00 PM, ET) and Monday, April 5 (9:00-Conclusion PM, ET), respectively.

On Selection Sunday, CBS College Sports and CBS combine for three hours of coverage starting with the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

CBS SPORTS TOGETHER WITH CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK

BREAK DOWN THE BRACKETS WITH THREE HOURS OF

NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW COVERAGE

CBS Sports Broadcasts Exclusive, Live, First-time Announcement of

2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Field of 65 on Sunday, March 14

CBS College Sports Network Offers Two-Hours of In-Depth Analysis of Field of 65 Following CBS Sports’ Live Bracket Reveal

CBSSports.com Streams CBS Sports’ Selection Show Live

CBS Sports, together with CBS College Sports Network, offers college basketball fans the most comprehensive coverage of Selection Sunday with the exclusive, live, first-time announcement and three hours of in-depth coverage of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship field of 65.

CBS Sports tips-off the madness with the announcement of the pairings for the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 14 (6:00-7:00 PM, ET) during the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW.

Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis host the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg join Gumbel, Anthony and Davis via satellite from the site of the Big Ten Championship at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. In addition, Dan Geuerro, Chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee joins them live from Indianapolis, Ind. to discuss the bracket and the committee’s selection process.

Immediately following CBS Sports’ live bracket reveal, CBS College Sports Network takes over with BRACKET BREAKDOWN (7:00-9:00 PM, ET) featuring comprehensive analysis of the field, as well as interviews with players and coaches. CBS College Sports Network’s Adam Zucker and CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson host the show, along with analysts Wally Szczerbiak, Pete Gillen, Steve Lappas and RPI expert Jerry Palm from their New York studio. BRACKET BREAKDOWN also features CBS Sports’ Gumbel, Anthony and Davis throughout the program.

            Additionally, CBS Sports’ coverage of the NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW will be streamed live on NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) available at CBSSports.com and NCAA.com, as well as MMOD apps available for the iPhone and iPod Touch and through the CBS Channel on FLO TV, which is available through AT&T and other wireless providers. MMOD viewers on CBSSports.com and NCAA.com will have the option of watching via a standard video player or by downloading a high-quality player, offering an enhanced video experience, free of charge. For more information on 2010 NCAA March Madness on Demand, us
ers can visit: mmod.ncaa.com

Here’s what you can expect to see on CBS College Sports starting tomorrow.

CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK TIPS OFF CONFERENCE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE

Network to Feature Conference USA, Mountain West Conference and Atlantic 10 Action

CBS College Sports Network features conference basketball championship week showcasing Conference USA, Mountain West Conference and the Atlantic 10.  

Coverage continues on Friday, March 12 with C-USA Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinals, followed by the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinals from Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. On Saturday, March 13 the Network broadcasts the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinals from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.  

In addition to live game coverage, the Network’s studio show, Bracket Week, keeps fans updated with the latest news, highlights and analysis leading up to Selection Sunday. Adam Zucker hosts and is joined by analysts Wally Szczerbiak, Jerry Palm and Yale basketball coach James Jones.

(Coaches Poll as of 3/8/10)

Following are the talent assignments for this weekend’s action:

(All Times ET)

 

Friday, March 12

C-USA Women’s Championship – 1:30-3:30 PM, Ann Schatz/Tammy Blackburn

C-USA Semifinal #1 – 4:00-6:00 PM, Roger Twibell/Sean Farnham

C-USA Semifinal #2 – 6:30-8:30 PM, Dave Ryan/Pete Gillen

MWC Semifinal #1 – 9:00-11:00 PM, Tom Hart/Steve Lappas

MWC Semifinal #2 – 11:30 PM – 1:30 AM, Tom Hart/Steve Lappas

Saturday, March 13

A-10 Semifinal #1 – 1:00-3:00 PM, Jason Knapp/Steve Wolf

A-10 Semifinal #2 – 3:30-5:30 PM, Jason Knapp/Steve Wolf

Patriot League Women’s Championship – 6:00-8:00 PM, Bob Socci/Pam Roecker

Two bonus releases. CBS College Sports will expand its viewership as it has already begun a free preview that started this week and will run through the Final Four.

CBS College Sports Network, the official cable home of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, will be seen in over 56 million households through its Free Preview, which began Monday, March 8 and runs through Monday, April 5. The free preview allows affiliates to open its signal to all customers, providing more fans with an opportunity to watch the Network’s extensive March Madness coverage, which includes the official highlight show of the tournament, NCAA March Madness Highlights. 

To date, 18 affiliate partners have signed on to be a part of the Free Preview, accounting for approximately 18 million additional subscribers. Affiliate partners include DISH Network, Verizon FiOS, Insight, Mediacom, Suddenlink and RCN, and wide participation from Comcast, Time Warner
, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks systems, in addition to several others. 

CBS College Sports Network presents all the action and excitement surrounding the tournament, including over 80 hours of coverage complementing CBS Sports’ exclusive live network game broadcasts. Immediately following the conclusion of each day’s games on CBS Sports, NCAA March Madness Highlights, recaps the excitement of the day with all the scores, news, highlights and analysis. Throughout the tournament, NCAA March Madness Central brings viewers exclusive in-progress game highlights, live look-ins and press conferences from every team at every site from the first-round through the Championship Game.

For CBS College Sports Network’s complete broadcast schedule, log on to www.cbscollegesports.com.

And CBS will produce the Final Four in 3D and theaters across the nation (but not in RI) will pick it up to show it to paying customers.

CBS SPORTS, NCAA^® AND LG ELECTRONICS TEAM UP TO DELIVER NCAA MEN’s FINAL FOUR^® SEMIFINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES IN 3-D

Live 3-D Broadcasts Available in up to 100 Cinedigm Certified™ Digital Cinemas Nationwide and in Indianapolis at NCAA Bracket Town™ 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™ 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.

I have a few more releases for you coming up.