NCAA March Madness on Demand cements status as largest online sports event

CBS' broadcast and distribution of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship across multiple platforms a success as ratings grow

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- CBSSports.com, in partnership with CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the NCAA(R) today released final traffic figures for the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player in 2009. In total, there were 7.52 million unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player, a 58% increase over 2008 figures. Additionally, there were 8.6 million total hours of video and audio consumed, a 75% increase over 2008 figures.

The success of NCAA March Madness on Demand builds on the growth of the broadcast of the tournament on the CBS Television Network. CBS Sports' coverage of the entire 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship was up +5% in the metered markets from 2008.

"Together with the NCAA, March Madness on Demand continues to set the bar for excellence for online video coverage of a sports event," said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports. "We're thrilled by the record numbers we saw this year and appreciate the tremendous support we received from across CBS in helping to make this event as successful as it was."

Final 2009 NCAA March Madness on Demand traffic figures

• 7.52 million unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player (2008 figure was 4.76 million -- 58% growth)
• 8.6 million total hours of live streaming video and audio consumed -- (2008 figure was 4.92 million -- 75% growth)
• 515 thousand total hours of video and audio were consumed during the semifinal and championship games of the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, a 51% increase over 2008 figures.
• 2.77 million clicks of the "Boss Button" (2008 figure was 2.5 million for entire tournament)

CBS Interactive, a top 10 Internet Property worldwide, tapped into the power of its network to help drive awareness and excitement for this year's tournament both from a content integration and promotional perspective. In addition, a comprehensive promotional campaign was developed to drive record level attendance for March Madness on Demand, including a unique All Access program that ran across CBS interactive properties.

This year's marketing program extended across CBS platforms. Promotions on CBS Television, Radio stations, Outernet and affiliates as well as the CBS Audience Network helped fuel awareness of NCAA March Madness on Demand on air and online. From promotions during The Early Show, 60 Minutes, CSI: Miami to a CBS Outdoor billboard in Times Square, the strength of CBS across all forms of media to reach consumers clearly played a pivotal role in the growth of NCAA March Madness on Demand.

About NCAA(R) March Madness(R) On Demand (MMOD)

NCAA March Madness on Demand (ncaa.com/mmod) is the Emmy award-winning video player that provides live streaming video and audio of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Since its inception in 2003, MMOD traditionally provided live video of the first 56 games, starting with the first round, of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship as they were broadcast by CBS Sports, with local broadcasts being subject to blackouts. Beginning in 2008, MMOD started showing all 63 games from the first round of the tournament through the semifinal and final games of the Men's Final Four(R), making it the only major sporting event that is broadcast live and in its entirety for free on the Internet. NCAA March Madness on Demand is available internationally as well.

NCAA March Madness on Demand was offered free of charge in 2009 by presenting sponsors and NCAA Corporate Champions AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Pontiac.

About CBS Interactive

CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS), is the best online content network for information and entertainment. With more than 180 million people visiting its properties each month, it is the 8th largest Web property globally. Its portfolio of leading brands, which include CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com, GameSpot, TV.com, BNET and Last.fm, span popular categories like technology, entertainment, sports, news and business.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions - AT&T, Coca-Cola and Pontiac -- and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners -- Enterprise, Hershey's, The Hartford, Lowe's, Sheraton and State Farm.

NCAA, Final Four, and March Madness are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

SOURCE CBSSports.com

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RELATED LINKS
http://mmod.ncaa.com