March Madness Taps into iPhones, iPod Touch

With March Madness looming, CBSSports.com released March 12 an on-demand application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that provides live streaming video and audio of every game of the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The app also includes tournament brackets updated in real-time with up-to-the minute scores, and the ability to click directly from brackets into live video.
While CBSSports.com has offered its NCAA March Madness on Demand application for iPhones and iPod Touches in previous tournaments, the live coverage was limited to the first 56 games of the tournament. Last year, the coverage was extended to every game of the tournament, making it the only major sports event that is broadcast live and in its entirety for free on the Internet.
Developed by CBS Sports Mobile with partner MobiTV, the application uses MobiTV’s streaming technology to deliver live video over a Wi-Fi connection. The $4.99 app, available through the iTunes store, allows users to access in-game box scores and player stats as an overlay on top of the live game video. After each game, users can view the full tournament scoreboard, including game recaps, player and team stats and video highlights of every tournament game.
The app also offers CBSSports.com’s Edge Matchup game previews, which provide team breakdowns and matchup comparisons all the way to the Final Four. All games from the Final Four will also be available for $1.99 each on Apple’s iTunes store the day after they are completed.