CBS and Final Four Coverage

[Crossblock]

I know this has been going on for several Years, but after watching last night I was reminded to bring this up. CBS televises more regular season college basketball than any over the air station, and is fully involved in coverage of the first rounds of the Tournament. Yet when they get to the Final Four, CBS doesn't carry the games and they are shifted to TNT TBS and TRU. It seems to Me that You would have a greater possible audience by carrying those games on the over the air Network rather than shifting them to the other outlets. It seems You could charge higher Ad rates where You have the larger potential audience.

Somebody tell me what I am missing here

 

[82hoosier]

Everything about college basketball now is about an immediate money grab. Virtually everything going on right now is detrimental to the sport in the long run. Very disappointing.

 

[bsmitty08]

I know this has been going on for several Years, but after watching last night I was reminded to bring this up. CBS televises more regular season college basketball than any over the air station, and is fully involved in coverage of the first rounds of the Tournament. Yet when they get to the Final Four, CBS doesn't carry the games and they are shifted to TNT TBS and TRU. It seems to Me that You would have a greater possible audience by carrying those games on the over the air Network rather than shifting them to the other outlets. It seems You could charge higher Ad rates where You have the larger potential audience.

Somebody tell me what I am missing here

And the time they played hurts viewership.
The women’s had the highest viewership ever and it was on ABC and a 3 pm start.

 

[SUNDOWN]

The Final Four and title game alternate between CBS and TBS. CBS has the games in odd number years. TBS has the games in even number years. This has been the deal since 2016.

 

[indykent]

Back when the present Men's Championship contract was being negotiated, CBS had pretty much resigned itself that ESPN was going to take over the tournament. ESPN wanted it bad. Turner Sports was wanting to get involved, so they approached CBS about joining in on CBS's bid. Part of the deal was giving CBS and Turner the ability to have every game available to view via TNT, TBS, and Tru, as opposed to CBS which at that time, would have to figure out which of their affiliates got what game
especially in the 1st and 2nd Rounds. But having Turner involvement also meant that Turner and CBS would then alternate the Championship Weekend. The Championship Semi-Finals and Championship Final would still be produced by CBS's main production team of Mark Wolff producing and Bob Fishman directing. Bob Fishman had been directing the tournament for CBS since CBS aquired the rights and took over the tournament from NBC back in 1982. Bob retired after directing his 40th Championship back in 2022. Mark Grant took over with the 2023 tournament and was in the big chair again last night. As far as the game time, you want maximum availability to the whole country which is why the tip-off is at 9:20pm EDT. Remember that it's only 6:20pm PDT on the west coast. An earlier start would mean Mountain and Pacific time zone viewers would still be trying to get home when the game tipped off.

 

[ams66]

Who watches TV over-the-air these days?

 

[Crossblock]

And the time they played hurts viewership.
The women’s had the highest viewership ever and it was on ABC and a 3 pm start.

I think They start that late for the benefit of the West Coast Audience (6:00 p.mp. Pacific time). But I wonder If You broke down the numbers, how many viewers they actually get on the West Coast. It seems to Me that most of your Audience would be from the East and Midwest, and parts of the South. I would think they only get a large West Coast audience if UCLA, USC, or Arizona are in the title game, If You started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, I wonder if You would have much effect on the overall numbers.

 

[Coachlosekamp]

Who watches TV over-the-air these days?

Me, can’t afford Dish or Direct!

 

[TerhuneHoosierfan]

And we still can't dodge Raftery. I'm sorry, but with the "kiss" and "puppies" references, he just grates on my last nerve. My suggestion to the "Rafterman" would be to "get those puppies organized" and get the Hell out of here🤣

 

[sobester]

And we still can't dodge Raftery. I'm sorry, but with the "kiss" and "puppies" references, he just grates on my last nerve. My suggestion to the "Rafterman" would be to "get those puppies organized" and get the Hell out of here🤣

Raftery is nostalgia for me. I like it.

 

[82hoosier]

Me, can’t afford Dish or Direct!

I hear you. I’m not gonna sign a cable contract so I can watch the Super Bowl and the final four.

 

[TerhuneHoosierfan]

Raftery is nostalgia for me. I like it.

For the sake of nostalgia? Meh...I can agree with you there, I guess. And I will admit that he didn't seem to be as annoying with his assessment (somewhat) this year as I've noticed in the past, but that said, I tend to apply the "mute" apporoach quite often😉

 

[GeorgeStrait IU]

And we still can't dodge Raftery. I'm sorry, but with the "kiss" and "puppies" references, he just grates on my last nerve. My suggestion to the "Rafterman" would be to "get those puppies organized" and get the Hell out of here🤣

Raft is my all time favorite. Rhe best from early 90s to mid 2000s. Sometimes its best if he hung it up now. 1990s Raft? All day everyday.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

And we still can't dodge Raftery. I'm sorry, but with the "kiss" and "puppies" references, he just grates on my last nerve. My suggestion to the "Rafterman" would be to "get those puppies organized" and get the Hell out of here🤣

You’re in the vast minority

 

[INwheels]

Me, can’t afford Dish or Direct!

Same here. We get locals and a few streaming services. That said, I wouldn't have watched the final game anyway because of the time. My day starts at 4 AM.

 

[Harry Hondo]

I know this has been going on for several Years, but after watching last night I was reminded to bring this up. CBS televises more regular season college basketball than any over the air station, and is fully involved in coverage of the first rounds of the Tournament. Yet when they get to the Final Four, CBS doesn't carry the games and they are shifted to TNT TBS and TRU. It seems to Me that You would have a greater possible audience by carrying those games on the over the air Network rather than shifting them to the other outlets. It seems You could charge higher Ad rates where You have the larger potential audience.

Somebody tell me what I am missing here

Yes, and the women’s championship game was moved to ABC, instead of ESPN. Guess what? The women’s championship game had higher TV ratings by 4 million households over the men’s game, However, I do think that’s partly due to starting the men’s game at 9:20. An 8pm start would be more reasonable.

 

[twenty02]

Who watches TV over-the-air these days?

Probably more people now than a decade ago

 

[El Drado]

having the men's championship game at 9:20 on a Monday night on some channel i didn't think existed anymore is why the ratings are bad. I think would be great, have the men's and women's same day same place. that would be a great day for college ball

 

[sobester]

having the men's championship game at 9:20 on a Monday night on some channel i didn't think existed anymore is why the ratings are bad. I think would be great, have the men's and women's same day same place. that would be a great day for college ball

Not sure that would work. Two totally different fan bases. You would have to clear out arena between games.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Not sure that would work. Two totally different fan bases. You would have to clear out arena between games.

And two totally different broadcast agreements. Wouldn't work.

 

[Tammany Hall]

Not sure that would work. Two totally different fan bases. You would have to clear out arena between games.

Yea. Would also overload the host city with fans, making everything very pricey and hard to get into.

 

[TerhuneHoosierfan]

You’re in the vast minority

Appears so🤣

 

[El Drado]

Venues have multiple games on the same day. It's been figured out. All i am saying it would make for an incredible day of basketball. My main point was agreeing the date/time/station for men's game is beyond stupid....even though i bet the west coast appreciates watching PU vs UConn at a convenient time.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Venues have multiple games on the same day. It's been figured out. All i am saying it would make for an incredible day of basketball. My main point was agreeing the date/time/station for men's game is beyond stupid....even though i bet the west coast appreciates watching PU vs UConn at a convenient time.

Not with competing broadcast partners, though.

 

[Crossblock]

Not with competing broadcast partners, though.

Here is a thought. If You used one venue, play the Women's Semifinals on Thursday night with the Championship game Saturday Afternoon or Evening. Play the Men's semifinals Friday night with the finals Sunday Afternoon or Evening. I see 2 potential problems.
1. Can You find a locale with enough hotel space and entertainment facilities to handle this large a number of people,
2 , If You have different broadcast outlets, You have the problem of moving equipment in and out on alternate days.

 

[zeke4ahs]

Not sure that would work. Two totally different fan bases. You would have to clear out arena between games.

I’d be mad because I might want to go to both. ( in my dreams)

 

[Al Bino]

Everything about college basketball now is about an immediate money grab. Virtually everything going on right now is detrimental to the sport in the long run. Very disappointing.

I would think you could put football in that money category too.

College sports as I knew it when at IU is gone and DEAD!

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Here is a thought. If You used one venue, play the Women's Semifinals on Thursday night with the Championship game Saturday Afternoon or Evening. Play the Men's semifinals Friday night with the finals Sunday Afternoon or Evening. I see 2 potential problems.
1. Can You find a locale with enough hotel space and entertainment facilities to handle this large a number of people,
2 , If You have different broadcast outlets, You have the problem of moving equipment in and out on alternate days.

Locale wouldn't be a huge issue, I don't think. Hell, the Colts and Pacers play on the same weekends, though those obviously don't necessarily require as many hotel nights, but the Indy 500 or the Super Bowl does.

I can't answer about the TV setup...if the networks worked together, which I can't speak to how nicely they might play together, you could potentially have one setup and use the same equipment for both broadcasts, but that seems unlikely. I don't imagine you could manage to do a full setup and take down 4x in 4 days though. Might be some arena signage that would have to be swapped out too, but I think the majority of that is digital or theh NCAA corporate sponsors are the same.

 

[Crossblock]

Locale wouldn't be a huge issue, I don't think. Hell, the Colts and Pacers play on the same weekends, though those obviously don't necessarily require as many hotel nights, but the Indy 500 or the Super Bowl does.

I can't answer about the TV setup...if the networks worked together, which I can't speak to how nicely they might play together, you could potentially have one setup and use the same equipment for both broadcasts, but that seems unlikely. I don't imagine you could manage to do a full setup and take down 4x in 4 days though. Might be some arena signage that would have to be swapped out too, but I think the majority of that is digital or theh NCAA corporate sponsors are the same.

In your colts-- pacers example most of the Home Team fans are driving in for the game from their Homes, with some making a weekend stay and a limited number of visiting teams fans using Hotel Rooms. You don't have fan bases from 8 separate schools needing hotel space on an overlapping basis for 3 or 4 nights. When You think about it, indianapolis might be an appropriate site. Centrally located with hotel space downtown and immediate suburbs, medium sized cities within reasonable driving distance in all directions (Bloomington, Lafayette, Anderson, Muncie, Columbus, Franklin, Terre Haute, even suburban Cincinnati and Louisville if You need to go out further).

 

[Coachlosekamp]

I hear you. I’m not gonna sign a cable contract so I can watch the Super Bowl and the final four.

They won’t allow me to pick which channels I want.
Collage basketball is really the only sport I want or would watch on cable/dish.
Everything else I can get over the air.