CBS, Turner provide enhanced coverage
Mixed marriages in TV — those between a network and cable — are not always destined for longevity. But the union of CBS and Turner Sports to put on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship could be long term if the two entities continue to give the viewer what they crave. And that is more.
More everything. More games. More outlets. More sharing. More ways to watch.
This year that includes Final Four Saturday on cable using three outlets with different broadcasts.
“We think about continuing to try to make this property different and better for the fans and the viewers. We’re announcing our ‘teamcasts’ opportunities around the semifinal games,” said David Levy, president of Turner Broadcasting System.
“We will focus the main game on TBS, but there will also be focused games on both TNT and truTV where we will focus on the specific teams themselves. Each channel will focus on a single team. For example, if Syracuse is playing Duke, on truTV you’ll see a more custom-focused game, more storytelling if you will, for a Syracuse fan and on TNT would be for the Duke fan.”
Here is a guide to what else CBS and Turner have on the docket in Year 4 of the partnership: Game coverage: All 67 games will appear live on either CBS or a Turner outlet. Final Four: TBS will have the Saturday action April 5 with the games and teamcasts (on TNT and truTV) starting at 6 p.m. ET. For the 33rd consecutive season, CBS will broadcast the title game. The championship game coverage includes a pregame show at 8:30 p.m. ET and tip-off at 9:10. Jim Nantz will call the final with Steve Kerr and Greg Anthony. Studio: Ernie Johnson will be the host, with Greg Gumbel also joining the broadcast.
Analysts will include Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller, Seth Davis, Grant Hill and Doug Gottlieb.
Throughout the tournament, the studio will invite college coaches per their availability. Game broadcast teams:
Jim Nantz/Greg Anthony/Tracy Wolfson
Marv Albert/Steve Kerr/Craig Sager
Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/ Allie LaForce
Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller and Len Elmore/Rachel Nichols
Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Lewis Johnson
Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner/ Kristine Leahy
Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb/ Jaime Maggio
Andrew Catalon/Mike Gminski/Otis Livingston NCAA First Four: The opening games will be Tuesday and Wednesday on truTV. Portable access: NCAA March Madness Live — produced by Turner Sports — can be launched from NCAA.com/marchmadness, CBSSports.com and BleacherReport.com and at the Apple App Store, Google Play, the Windows Store and Amazon Appstore. It will be available for the iPhone, iPad, Android 4.0+ operating system, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8 operating system.
Among the features will be a bracket layout allowing fans to view the TV schedule, focus in on a game or tap into live coverage. There will be more than 150 hours of live streaming of the tournament.
It will also allow for social networking, including in-game tweets, Instagram photos, ability to share select game highlights and Vine videos.
Besides the game, it will provide tournament news and updates, including video highlights and complete game replays.