Sears And CBS Team Up To Broadcast NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four And Championship Games In HDTV

25-Feb-03

Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S), and CBS Television announced an agreement in which Sears will sponsor high-definition (HD) television coverage of the 2003 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, including the Final Four and Championship games.Coverage will include 12 high-definition games starting with first-round action from Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, March 21 (four games) and Sunday, March 23 (two games), as well as South Region action in San Antonio, Texas, Friday, March 28 (two games) and Sunday, March 30 (one game). The first eight games will be regionalized broadcasts, while the South Region final in San Antonio, the two national semi-final games, and the National Championship Game will be national broadcasts.The telecasts, which will be presented live by CBS Sports, will be ""unified"" productions produced in 1080i, and down-converted for the CBS Television Network's analog broadcast coverage. This production technique also produces a better-quality analog picture. Whether watching in 16:9 HD or traditional 4:3 analog, viewers will see the same camera angles, replays, and graphics, and will hear the same play-by-play.For the first time, the NCAA Basketball Tournament will be broadcast in 5.1 surround sound. This addition of surround sound audio to the broadcast, coupled with the clarity of 1080 lines of picture resolution, will bring the stadium experience to the viewer's home. CBS broadcasted the Grammy AwardsÆ in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on February 23, 2003.""The combination of high-definition and CD-quality surround sound provides an extraordinary experience for NCAA Basketball Tournament viewers watching the games on CBS,"" said Sean McManus, President, CBS Sports. ""The coverage will really bring the game home for millions of college basketball fans, and we are very pleased to be partnering with Sears in making this experience a reality. This is the fourth consecutive year we have broadcast the Final Four in HDTV, reaffirming CBS's leadership in presenting big-ticket marquee events in high-definition.""""While Sears is a leading retailer in the sales of HDTV, we are aware there is a good deal of confusion among consumers about HDTV,"" said Ray Brown, Vice President/General Merchandise Manager, Electronics for Sears. ""With this effort with CBS, Sears is taking a leadership role to help educate millions of consumers about the benefits HDTV offers.""CBS Sports' coverage of the 2003 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Final Four and Championship games will be broadcast live Saturday, April 5 (6-11pm ET) and Monday, April 7 (9-11:30pm ET) from New Orleans.