CBS Sports Jumps Into 3D With Enhanced Final Four Coverage
Teams With Cinedigm, LG Electronics, To Present 'March Madness' Semifinals, Championship Game In 100 Theaters; Talking To MSOs, DirecTV About Distribution
Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 3/9/2010 4:57:57 PM
New York — CBS Sports is stepping onto the 3D court and cable operators may have a chance to participate in the latest platform to support "March Madness."
Teaming with Cinedigm Digital Cineman Corp. and LG Electronics, CBS will make its first push into this high-tech arena, televising the Final Four contests on April 3 and the April 5 title game from the 2010 Men's Division I Basketball Championships in 3D.
Fully produced by CBS Sports, the 3D version of the three games will be called by CBS College Sports Network announcers Dave Ryan and Steve Lappas.
The contests will be shown in this enhanced format in 100 movie theaters nationwide, as well as on LG's LCD HDTVs at locations throughout Lucas Oil Stadium, the 2010 venue for the Final Four and at the NCAA's interactive fan event, Bracket Town refreshed by Coca-Cola Zero. Pricing for the cinemas has not yet been determined.
CBS Sports executive vice president, operations and production Ken Aagaard said that there also have been conversations with cable operators and DirecTV about possibly offering the trio of marquee matchups in 3D.
"We're working with LG. Realistically, there are only a few places because there just aren't that many homes with boxes to support 3D," said Aagaard, during an interview after CBS's annual media day supporting the basketball tournament at the network's Manhattan headquarters. "This is another platform we can use to leverage the tournament."
LG Electronics USA, is the official 3-D sponsor for CBS Sports' tournament broadcasts and an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA. LG Electronics, which debuted 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 U.S., tipping off this May.
Aagaard said that CBS and LG are working with NEP's SS 3D production truck and PACE 3D Fusion. Production expertise will be provided Vince Pace, who has worked on the blockbuster movies Avatar and Titanic, as well as NBA telecasts in 3D.
The enhanced presentations of the national semifinals could serve as precursors to more CBS 3D action with college football next fall, according to Aagaard.
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