Tony Petitti to Oversee Operations of CSTV Businesses As Part of CBS Sports
Division
NEW YORK, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CBS Corporation will
integrate the combined businesses of its College Sports Television Networks
(CSTV) division into the operations of CBS Sports, it was announced today
by Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. The reorganization,
effective today, will be overseen by Sean McManus, President, CBS News and
Sports, and the day-to-day operations of CSTV will now be overseen by Tony
Petitti, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports.
CBS acquired CSTV Networks, Inc., the leading digital media company
devoted exclusively to college athletics, in November 2005. The company's
many platforms for distribution include CSTV, a national cable network,
televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's
college sports; CSTV.com and its network of nearly 215 official athletic
sites; CSTV XXL and All Access, broadband services providing live and
streaming audio and video of more than 10,000 events annually; as well as
satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks
and more.
As a part of the consolidation, Brian Bedol, who founded CSTV and grew
it as an independent division within CBS, will no longer be responsible for
day- to-day oversight of the enterprise. He will work closely with McManus
and Petitti over the next months to effect the transition, and will
continue to stay involved with CBS as a senior advisor to Moonves.
"CSTV is one of the great brands in college sports and a real asset to
CBS Corporation," said Moonves. "It has developed tremendously since we
acquired it in 2005, thanks to the vision and hard work of Brian Bedol and
his team. We are confident that it is now ready to become a part of the
peerless CBS Sports division, joining a tremendous slate of college
athletics and an industry- leading production team. I want to thank Brian
for all he has done with CSTV, and I look forward to working with Sean and
Tony as we bring this extraordinary brand to the next level."
"Since becoming part of CBS Corporation, CSTV has had the opportunity
to grow bigger and faster and better than I could have ever imagined," said
Bedol. "And now, as part of CBS Sports, it joins an institution that has
become the model for all others in the sports media business. Leslie, Sean
and Tony have created a culture built on pride, excellence and the love of
sports, and I'm convinced that it is the perfect environment to continue
CSTV's evolution."
CSTV joins a division that is already one of the prolific suppliers of
televised college sports programming. CBS Sports serves as the exclusive
network broadcaster for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship,
and in 2008 will mark its 27th consecutive year of broadcasting the Final
Four and Championship games. In addition, CBS Sports is the exclusive
network broadcaster of the Big East, Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences,
broadcasting the top collegiate basketball games over 14 weekends in the
regular season. Throughout the basketball season, CBS Sports also features
marquee match-ups from the Pac-10, ACC and Big 12 Conferences. CBS Sports
also serves as the exclusive national broadcaster of SEC Football,
highlighted by home games featuring the best SEC regular-season action the
Conference has to offer, concluding with the SEC Championship Game. CBS
Sports also broadcasts the annual Army-Navy game, Gator Bowl and the Sun
Bowl.
"We are extremely pleased to bring CSTV into the CBS Sports family,"
said McManus. "This is one of the true gems in collegiate sports media, and
its complimentary assets make it the perfect addition to our division. With
the power of CBS Sports behind it, I know CSTV will thrive and grow as
never before."
"With the addition of CSTV, CBS Sports expands its role as the
industry's foremost provider of professional, collegiate and high school
sporting events," said Petitti. "The integration of these assets gives us a
whole new universe of programming and promotional platforms to engage
sports fans, and the combination of CSTV's digital media sites and the
industry-leading CBSSports.com raises our interactive presence to a whole
new level. I'm very excited to work with all the talented employees of CSTV
as we welcome them into our family, and continue providing the very best
sports programming in media."
CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a
portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL's
American Football Conference schedule and championship games; THE NFL TODAY
studio show; college basketball, including regular-season games and the
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship; the most comprehensive golf lineup on
network television, including the Masters(R) and PGA Championship; the U.S.
Open Tennis Championships; SEC college football; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR,
including auto racing, skiing, track & field and gymnastics, and NCAA
Championships.
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with
constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast
industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of
the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations,
combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which
provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves
audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets.
It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment,
including broadcast television (CBS and The CW -- a joint venture between
CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime
and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television
production and syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS
Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home
media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS
Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS
Consumer Products), video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment), in-store media (CBS
Outernet) and motion pictures (CBS Films). For more information, log on to
http://www.cbscorporation.com.
SOURCE CBS Corp
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.cbscorporation.com
http://www.CSTV.com http://www.CBSSports.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/185007.html/
CONTACT:
CBS Corporation: Gil Schwartz,
+1-212-975-2121, gdschwartz@CBS.com; or CBS Sports: LeslieAnne
Wade, +1-212-975-5171, lwade@cbs.com
|
