CBS: Making Dreams Reality
CBS' Internet hoop dreams
It was a sad, somber day as I walked into the computer lab today for my shift, until I read this article. You see, up until that point I was pretty down and out on my whole day. Two of my colleagues, who will remain nameless, told me that after our last class together they would be going to Grotto’s to watch the NCAA tournament. There would be other people there enjoying themselves as well with a few laughs and a few beverages. Good for them. Upon reading the article my spirits were uplifted and I was filled with a sense of relief.
The arcticle talks about CBS offering users a means for watching non-televised broacasts of basketball games throughout the whole tournament. The service is called March Madness on Demand and it’s FREE! All you have to do is sign up for CBS Sportsline and put up with their weekly emails. No big deal if I can watch March Madness at work for free. Actually, when you stop and think about it, since I am at work watching it…I’m actually being paid to watch. Life doesn’t get much better than that. They even offer a special “Boss” button which, when pushed, hides the games you’re watching and opens up a spreadsheet to make it look like you’re working – now you’re unstoppable.
CBS commented on their reasoning for offering the service for free when it cost $19.95 last year. Basically, they feel that potential advertisers will see this as a golden opportunity to reach thousands of people across the country. Not only will they reach a large number of people but they’ll also be reaching a particular segment of consumers. Big name advertisers that have jumped at such a golden opportunity are: Courtyard by Marriott, Lowes, Dell, State Farm, and GM.
Ok, so I’m watching the Boston College/Pacific game right now and I will say, there are A LOT of ads throughout the broadcast. The picture quality is not the best but the sound is right on. Am I disappointed by the large amount of ads or poor picture quality?... absolutely not. I don’t think I’m alone on this one when I say that the chance to watch the tournament while at work is so unbelievable that nothing could ruin it. Thank you CBS.
posted by Jeff at 2:22 PM
3 Comments:
I agree with Jeff, this really is a great idea. March Madness acquires a huge TV viewing audience. This service allows viewers to watch any game at anytime online and it’s free which the real bait to get people in. I think demand for this will be off the wall. I know guys like to watch it all the time and to be able to see any game at anytime is their dream come true. Especially, with the college age crowd who do not have the means to pay $20 a month for On-Demand. I think advertisers will flock to this opportunity. They will be reaching up to a million people that are in their target market at a time. CBS will definitely make their money back through advertising.
March 22, 2006
I think the CBS definitely has the right idea with this free broadcasting of March Madness. Advertisers are going to flock to this opportunity. I don’t know the actual statistics, but I can imagine that about at least 20 million people will be watching the Elite 8 games, down to the championship game. This is a great opportunity for advertisers to cash in. I think in the future this service might cost money, but for right now it is a great idea. I wish that I saw this post when March Madness was going on, and I too would be watching at work! The idea of the “Boss” button is genius, but I’m sure employers won’t like that. Props to CBS for starting such a great idea-I can’t wait to use it next year!
April 07, 2006
Oh Townsend, you never stop amazing me. Although the article that you wrote was compelling, I’m worried that you aren’t getting the point here. The reason they call what you are supposed to be doing “work”, is because that is exactly what you are supposed to be doing. This example probably explains why when I am having trouble printing stuff out in the computer lab, there’s no one who “works” there to help me out. Anyway, your brackets for the tourney probably sucked anyway. I imagine you were whimpering at your computer screen when all the teams you chose burned up in flames. Sorry, that was mean (but probably true). Anyway, I agree with you that it’s a great idea for them to offer the games for free on the internet. What I don’t agree with is the boss button. If it were me at work, I wouldn’t care if the boss saw me watching the games. He would probably be mad at me anyway due to the fact that I was going to win the office pool and spend the money when I took my next sick day (which is probably the day after I won). I’m thinking……a week in Cancun with a bunch of sophomores.
April 11, 2006
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