Online ‘Blackouts on Demand’

By Delano Farley
CBS Sports offered March Madness on Demand free for the first three rounds of the NCAA Division One men’s basketball tournament to anyone who signed up to watch the games via the internet. Those who signed up before the deadline became a VIP ticket holder and were granted immediate access, but those who signed up after the deadline received a General Admission Ticket that allowed entry after the VIP ticket holders were given access. The waiting period was a matter of seconds to get inside.

The media coverage could have been better. Many of the games in this market area were blocked from online viewing because of local blackout restrictions. The chance to watch games like Wichita State vs. Seton Hall and Duke vs. George Washington, as well as all WVU games, would have made a better experience for the online viewer. These games were not available online because they were available on the local CBS-TV affiliate.

Halftime programming and TV timeouts were lacking in entertainment. Unlike television viewers who were being entertained with score updates and stories, the online viewers were forced to look at a screen that states, “Stay Tuned, your game will return momentarily.” Score updates were also not available to online viewers. The March Madness on Demand programming did display some commercials during game breaks, but they were for the sponsors that help support March Madness on Demand. The few commercials were repeated frequently.

March Madness on Demand was great for watching some of the games online, but CBS Sportsline.com has a long way to go before they will satisfy the needs of an online viewer through video streaming. Interested online viewers will be “staying tuned” for March Madness on Demand improvements in the future.