DirecTV announced a deal with CBS and the NCAA which
will allow it to offer CBS-produced broadcasts of out-of-
market games from the first three rounds of the NCAA men's
Div. I basketball tournament. DirecTV subscribers will be
able to choose from games that are not being shown on their
local CBS affils. Price and packaging will be determined at
a later date (CBS Sports). DirecTV President Eddie
Hartenstein said that the broadcasts "will likely be offered
on an individual game basis," rather than a package. CBS
and the NCAA will receive a share of the subscriber revenue
from the games, which DirecTV will have exclusively. The
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Stephen Battaglio reports that the deal
"will be evaluated in the first year," and if it "goes
well," it should continue throughout CBS's NCAA deal, which
expires in 2002. CBS Sports President Sean McManus said
that the decision was "enthusiastically supported" by CBS
affils. McManus: "Viewers watching the network will see no
difference" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 10/28). CBS "will receive
about a $3 million rights fee against shared pay-per-view
revenues" (Rudy Martzke, USA TODAY, 10/28).
NO TO CABLE: McManus said that a cable deal "was never
considered." McManus: "Cable is in 70 million homes. If
DirecTV had been in 70 million homes, we would not have done
the deal. We're looking at a relatively small group of
people without damaging the presentation on CBS" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 10/28). USA TODAY's Dan Rafael writes that a
six-day package, which would run through the regional
semifinals, "likely will be offered for less than $50," with
single-game options also available (USA TODAY, 10/28).