CBS partnered with Turner Sports in the bidding.
As part of the new deal, the NCAA Tournament field will expand to 68 teams. That's three more than the current 65-team format, but significantly less than the 96-team format that has been suggested. The format change won't be official until approved by the NCAA's board of directors; their vote is scheduled for April 29th. There's still a possibility that the board will push for a more significant expansion -- but that might be years away.
In the interim, here are the changes fans should expect in 2011:
More teams in the Big Dance:
The format hasn't been finalized, but it seems reasonable to expect a new "opening round" game will be added in each region, and for those games to match up the eight lowest-ranked teams in the tournament.That would probably mean four games on a par with the 2010 Opening Round game, which pitted Winthrop against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
It also means three new at-large bids -- and three more second-rate big conference teams in the dance.
For the casual fan -- who was probably only dimly aware that the NCAA Tournament formally started with a Tuesday game between Winthrop and Arkansas Pine-Bluff -- the extra three teams could totally escape notice.
More Games on TV
Adding Turner to the mix means a lot more of the tournament will be available on live television. First and second-round games will be carried on CBS and Turner's TBS, TNT and truTV (formerly known as Court TV) networks.The Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and Final Four will stay with CBS through 2015. After that, CBS and Turner will take turns broadcasting the regional finals and Final Four.
More coverage online
The NCAA's March Madness on Demand service -- online streaming video of every NCAA Tournament game via NCAA.com and CBSSports.com -- will expand into Time Warner's digital properties, which could include sites like SI.com and CNN.More Money for the NCAA
Lots more, in fact. That was, after all, the point of the exercise.The new deal averages out to over $770 million per year for the NCAA; the old deal was worth $571 million yearly. According to the NCAA, 96 percent of that revenue is used to benefit student-athletes through direct distribution to schools, funding championship events for other sports, etc.
