CBS Swings March Madness Pass To iPhones
Sells $4.99 App For Apple Devices To Provide 63 Live NCAA Tournament Games
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 3/12/2009 7:45:20 AM
Taking hardcourt action to handhelds, CBS Sports is selling a video-on-demand application for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices that will provide live streaming video and audio of 63 games from the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The mobile VOD application, developed by MobiTV, is available for $4.99 from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod Touch, or at www.itunes.com/appstore.
In addition, all games from the Final Four will be available for $1.99 each on iTunes Store the day after they are completed.
The iPhone app uses MobiTV's streaming technology to deliver live video over a Wi-Fi connection. Coverage begins Thursday, March 19, and continues through the Men's Final Four from Detroit, Mich.
Besides live video, the NCAA March Madness on Demand iPhone and iPod touch application lets fans access tournament brackets -- updated in real-time with up-to-the minute scores -- and then click directly to live video. During live game action, users will be able to access in-game box scores and player stats, as an overlay on top of the video. The service also will highlight CBSSports.com's Edge Matchup game previews, including team breakdowns and head-to-head comparisons.
CBS sells other iPhone applications, including those for accessing TV.com, CBS EyeMobile and Last.FM.
The mobile play is just one leg of CBS's multiplatform March Madness push, which includes an exclusive TV out-of-market package offered by DirecTV and video-on-demand highlights and memorable moments from tournaments past distributed to 20 affiliates.
On the Internet, CBSSports.com tipped off the NCAA March Madness on Demand standard video player on March 10 with historical highlights from past NCAA tournaments. The service, which will provide 63 live games for free, is also available at NCAA.com.
