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MARCH MADNESS GETS A LITTLE CRAZIER FOR DIRECTV SUBSCRIBERS

          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).
  

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