 CBSSports.com, in partnership with CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the NCAA, today released traffic figures for NCAA March Madness on Demand for the first day of the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. In total, there were 1,751,956 unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player, a 122% increase over 2007 figures.
"Our decision to open up NCAA March Madness on Demand to other major sports, video and social networks across the web has not only proven a great formula for tremendous growth but also proves the mission of CBS Interactive to distribute our content in an open, non-exclusive manner using many great partners," said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports.com. "Fans have clearly indicated that NCAA March Madness on Demand has become the most significant sports event online and, in turn a tremendous success story for our advertising partners that is complementary to the CBS Television Network."
2008 NCAA March Madness on Demand traffic figures through Thursday, March 20
- 1,751,956 unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player (2007 figure was 789,045 - 122% growth)
- 571,297 VIP registrants (2007 figure was 468,720 - 22% growth)
- 1,225,089 clicks of the "Boss Button" (figure not available for 2007)
CBS reports that a large factor in the year-over-year traffic escalation with NCAA March Madness on Demand is the decision CBSSports.com made to drop registration
requirements for the product, giving fans immediate admission to the video player. This one-click access gives CBSSports.com the ability to distribute links to NCAA March Madness on Demand to a network of more than 200 sites across the Internet, including websites such as ESPN.com, Yahoo! Sports and SI.com, social networking sites such as Facebook, online video leader YouTube as well as the CBS Audience Network, including sites for CBS television and radio affiliates.
2008 marks the first time that NCAA March Madness on Demand gives users the ability to view all 63 games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, from the first round of the tournament through the Men's Final Four(R) in San Antonio, including the Championship game. NCAA March Madness on Demand also gives users the option to listen to live play-by-play audio from Westwood One Radio for all games of the tournament.
Since its inception in 2003, NCAA March Madness on Demand has traditionally provided live video of 56 games from the first round through the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship as they are broadcast by CBS Sports, with local broadcasts being subject to blackouts.
CBS further reports that full game video and audio archives and highlight packages will be available on demand for all games of the tournament via the NCAA March Madness on Demand player. Additionally, highlight packages are available on the CBS Interactive Audience Network as well as YouTube. The NCAA March Madness on Demand player and archival footage are accessible through April 21. Source: CBS OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK First Ever Yankees Fantasy Baseball Camp to Be Held - The Biz of Baseball MLBPA Hires Two New Key Lawyers - The Biz of Baseball Yankee Fans Informed of Costlier Top Seats - The Biz of Baseball Lake Elsinore Storm Offer Barry Bonds Front Office Position - The Biz of Baseball Checking or Rubbing? Stars’ Modano Welcomes NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson to the Ice - The Biz of Hockey Can’t We All Just Get Along? Mainstream Media v. Alternative Media - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports Ford Field Sues AAFL - The Biz of Football CFL: Commissioner Cohon Working to Bring Team Back to Ottawa - The Biz of Football
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