Over 14 Million Live Video Streams of March Madness Action Served Around the
World
March Madness on Demand Records Over Four Million Visitors in First Four Days
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- CBS SportsLine, a leading
Internet sports media organization and part of CBS Digital Media, in
partnership with CBS Sports, CSTV and the NCAA(R) this afternoon announced
that NCAA(R) March Madness(TM) on Demand has served over 14 million streams of
live video from the 2006 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship and
recorded over four million visitors during the first four days of the
tournament.
The over 14 million video streams and four million visitors are believed
to far surpass the total number of streams served and visits recorded for any
previous live event in Internet history. NASA's online video coverage of the
launch and landing of the Space Shuttle Discovery is believed to have held the
previous record for largest live Internet event with more than 2.6 million
visitors.
"Through the success of March Madness on Demand, we have been able to
provide unprecedented viewing options by maximizing the Network's NCAA bundled
rights and the full range of assets of the new CBS Corporation," said Sean
McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. "March Madness on Demand will
continue to add to the viewing experience for hard core college basketball
fans everywhere."
"The growth in reach of the NCAA Basketball Championship is evident in
every measure we see," said Tom Jernstedt, NCAA Executive Vice President. "The
addition of the free March Madness on Demand package has elevated fan
following to another level and we're very pleased with the growth of the game
evidenced across so many forms of media."
"The numbers we have seen thus far with March Madness on Demand are clear
evidence that this product is the perfect extension of CBS Sports'
presentation of the NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Championship," said
Larry Kramer, President of CBS Digital Media. "Valuable partners, including
MLB Advanced Media have contributed heavily to the nearly flawless performance
of March Madness on Demand thus far."
NCAA(R) March Madness(TM) on Demand (MMOD) By the Numbers:
* MMOD served over 14 million streams of live game action
* MMOD has recorded over four million visitors in first four days
* A total of 1.15 million users have registered for MMOD
* 530 thousand fans registered for MMOD on Thursday, March 16
* Approximately 30 thousand international users registered for MMOD
* MMOD had 150,000 people in the waiting room on Thursday March 16 just
after the first games started, if that line was single-file and
visible (assuming each person takes up two feet of space), it would
have been over 50 miles long.
NCAA(R) March Madness(TM) on Demand, the online video player that provides
streaming live video of the first 56 games of the 2006 NCAA(R) Division I
Men's Basketball Championship is available at NCAAsports.com
(http://www.ncaasports.com/mmod) and is presented free of charge for the first
time since its debut in 2003. Free access to NCAA(R) March Madness(TM) on
Demand is made possible by presenting sponsors Courtyard by Marriott and Dell
as well as a host of other sponsors including Lowe's, Pontiac and State Farm.
About CBS SportsLine
CBS SportsLine is at the leading edge of media companies providing
Internet sports content, Fantasy sports and e-commerce. In addition to its
flagship service, the company publishes the official Web sites of the NFL, PGA
TOUR and NCAA Sports. CBS SportsLine is a member of the CBS family and a part
of CBS Digital Media. For more information about CBS SportsLine.com and for
the latest sports news, scores and expert analysis, please visit
cbs.sportsline.com.
More information about CBS and its businesses is available at
http://www.cbscorporation.com.
SOURCE CBS SportsLine
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Related links:
http://www.cbs.sportsline.com
http://www.ncaasports.com/mmod
http://www.cbscorporation.com
CONTACT:
Alex Riethmiller of CBS SportsLine,
+1-954-599-4154, ariethmiller@cbs.com; or LeslieAnne Wade of CBS
Sports, +1-212-975-5171, lwade@cbs.com
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