CBS & Turner Outbid ESPN For NCAA Tournament

ESPN may be the World Wide Leader in Sports, but they are still trailing behind in at least one regard.

On Thursday, CBS and Turner Broadcasting outbid ESPN for the rights of the NCAA college basketball tournament for more than the next decade.

CBS and Turner Broadcasting will pay at least $10.8 billion to carry the rights of the popular March Madness event through 2024, but that’s not all of the news. The Madness is about to increase.

There has long been talk of tournament expansion and now it appears that it will finally happen. While it won’t be the 80- or 96-team version as bandied about earlier, it will – if the board of director’s approves it – be a 68-team tournament.

It has yet to be clear how the additional three teams will fit into the picture but the early speculation would have it so that there are four play-in games opposed to just one. That way each No. 1 seed in each region will play a team that plays in.

Keep in mind that this is not final and the recommendation to expand will be reviewed by the board of directors next week.

While most of us are used to seeing CBS carry the NCAA Basketball Tournament flag, there was a need to include Turner Broadcasting into a partnership to fend off ESPN. Their tag-team pushed ESPN out of the bidding and allowed them to keep – or take over – the rights for the next 14 years.

CBS will still carry games but now Turner’s networks, which includes TBS, TNT and truTV (formerly Court TV) will also get into the broadcasting mix.

Up until 2015, CBS will cover the regional finals, the Final Four and the championship game but things will change come 2016. That year, CBS and Turner will share the regional finals and Final Four, which leaves the Championship Game to alternate between the two networks annually.

Overall, the fans will likely benefit come 2016. Those who have CBS and some of the Turner networks will likely see more than one game at a time opposed to having CBS choose what they are showing.

Meanwhile, ESPN will have to stand on the sidelines of the Tournament until 2024, when they will once again have a shot at it.

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