TV rights discussions between CBS Sports and the NCAA
for the Division I men's basketball tournament, which have
been reported to be worth between $3B-4B, "could involve CBS
acquiring NCAA marketing and licensing rights while enabling
the NCAA to deliver live video and audio coverage of some of
its other championships via the Internet," according to Mark
Asher of the WASHINGTON POST. NCAA President Cedric Dempsey
said the organization has been exploring "how we look to the
future," but said that "no deal with CBS is imminent and the
NCAA has indefinitely extended the network's exclusive
negotiating period." Asher speculates the market and
corporate sponsorship elements "would follow deals made by
several conferences ... under which some of those rights are
packaged with television rights" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/20).
ISL U.S. VP Jim Wheeler tells USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke that
the deal "might reach $4 billion for 10 years" (USA TODAY,
8/20). Martzke adds that Wheeler "has met with" Dempsey and
"appears willing to pay" $4B for 10 years if CBS does not.
When asked about Fox's interest, Fox Sports Senior VP/Media
Relations Vince Wladika "declines comment." But ESPN
spokesperson Mike Soltys says, "We're very interested in the
men's NCAAs." Martzke concludes that ABC, Fox and ISL "have
only outside shots at best" (USA TODAY, 8/20).
MORE HOOPS NEWS: Meanwhile, in DC, Mark Asher cites
Dempsey as saying that the NCAA "has approved a one-year
extension of a deal with DirecTV in which CBS provides
feeds" of all tournament games to DirecTV subscribers.
Dempsey said that the NCAA's venture onto DirecTV last year
netted the organization "more than" $1M and "was reasonably
successful" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/20).
