Slamdunk for new CBS basketball mobile video app
9 March, 2010 - 09:37As part of the March Madness marketing campaign, CBS Sports Mobile has apps for iPhone and iPod touch that will deliver live video of college basketball.
The move follows up on what CBS Sports Mobile claims was an extremely popular NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) app from last year, the new service will provide live video of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, from the first round through to the final.
Developed by CBS Sports Mobile with partner MLB Advanced Media, the app is being distributed over the FLO TV network. in collaboration with AT&T, with live video delivered over 3G, EDGE and Wi-Fi connections. CBS is warning users though that sufficient network coverage is required to stream live video, inferred by some as a warning about the potential quality of mobile video service delivered by the AT&T 3G network in the US.
The app is available comes in two formats, the free NCAA MMOD lite and premium which is priced at $9.99.
The lite app provides on-demand video highlights from every game, live scores, and comprehensive news coverage of both the 2010 conference tournaments and NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
The latter, branded the NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) premium application , offers live streaming video and video highlights of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Premium app users can also receive score alerts and listen to live game radio broadcasts from Westwood One throughout the entire tournament, starting with the Opening Round game on 16 March.
The NCAA March Madness on Demand's standard video player will launch on March 10 with historical highlights from past NCAA tournaments and be available at NCAA.com as well as via MMOD links on CBSSports.com.
Both the free and premium NCAA MMOD apps feature an interactive tournament bracket that updates with real-time scores, plus news headlines and the ability to log into Facebook and Twitter. Fans also have access to exclusive CBSSports.com Edge Matchup game previews, including team breakdowns and matchup comparisons. Users can also make their CBSSports.com bracket selections directly from the app, and track their progress throughout the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Coverage begins with the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show on 14 March and continues with every game from the first round of the tournament through the semi-finals and championship of the Men's Final Four.
Commenting on the prospects for the new app, Rob Gelick, Sr. Vice President and GM, CBS Mobile, said, "Last year CBS Sports Mobile witnessed a huge appetite for mobile video when we were the first to stream live sports events over the iPhone, and this year, by including Wi-Fi and 3G, we expect that appetite, and audience, to grow even more."
