![]() ![]() "You can make the case that once we make it to the regional semifinals (March 27 and 28) that people will find the games," McManus said. Sixteen games are scheduled per day on March 20 and 21 and another eight per day on March 22 and 23. The first four days of the NCAAs are by far the main network's largest blocks of programming, though advertising revenue in the early rounds isn't as crucial as it is deeper into the tournament. "When you are talking about a war in Iraq with 300,000 American soldiers over there, there's no way anyone argues that war should not be covered, or delayed, or deferred, so that CBS can get our NCAA basketball games on the air," said former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson, who dealt with cutaways from the network's broadcasts of the AFC and NFC title games to coverage of the first Persian Gulf War 12 years ago. Another Viacom option, TV Land, only reaches 78.4 million households. households, while TNN is in 85.8 million homes, ESPN is in 86.7 million homes and ESPN2 is in 84.5 million homes. CBS is broadcast in approximately 107 million U.S. How much CBS would lose if games were switched to its cable affiliates depends on ratings, since the network guarantees a minimum viewership to its advertisers. Said CBS Sports president Sean McManus, "The decision we'll make at the time will factor in our journalistic responsibility to the war coverage as well as to the basketball fans, but we've got to make that call at the line of scrimmage."ĬBS canceled its broadcast of a college basketball game and moved its coverage of the Bob Hope Classic back an hour when the Columbia space shuttle exploded Feb. "There are a number of complications including but not limited to our other programming commitments, including broadcasting all 63 games in the NCAA women's basketball tournament." "The sole reason was to potentially serve fans and the NCAA under what are very unique and difficult circumstances," he said. The network could then provide regionalized coverage.ĮSPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz confirmed that the network has had talks with CBS. If ESPN does get the early-round games, one game will either be on ESPN or ESPN2. The network also is in the process of clearing room for men's basketball for second round programming, although ESPN will still cover the NCAA women's basketball tournament, which begins on Saturday. The games then could move to other Viacom-owned networks, including TNN and Nickelodeon.Īlthough a deal with ESPN was not completed as of Tuesday evening, the network would be able to broadcast first-round games on Thursday and Friday. Should a war begin later this week, CBS likely would show wall-to-wall coverage of the first few days of the conflict to fulfill its affiliates' FCC responsibility to best serve the public's interest. So we will rise to ours,'' Bush said, hoursĪfter a decision to withdraw a United Nations resolution that The United Nations "Security Council has not lived up to its responsibilities The possibility of war later in the week seemed to become more possible Monday when, in a break with longtime allies, President Bush jettisonedĭiplomacy and demanded that Saddam Hussein surrender "Obviously when you are dealing with a network you have a great deal of responsibility." "We're on the phone literally three or four times a day exploring, seeing where we are as a country," CBS president Les Moonves said last week. CBS has the broadcast rights to 63 men's basketball games in 10 days spanning the tournament's 2½-week run at the cost of approximately $32 million per day.īut the possibility of war against Iraq threatens to interrupt the first year of the network's 11-year, $6 billion investment, which includes exclusive TV, radio, Internet, home video and marketing rights, prompting CBS officials to prepare contingency plans should the conflict begin during the tournament. The NCAA Tournament is among the most expensive buys in all of sports. : SPORTSBUSINESS - All war, all the time?ĬBS preparing contingency plans in case of war ![]()
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