Byline: MYRON P. MEDCALF; STAFF WRITER
Get ready for NCAA men's basketball tournament expansion.
Except, it's not the 96-team super tournament most anticipated.
On Thursday, the NCAA announced a new 14-year, $10.8 billion TV deal with CBS and Turner Broadcasting to air ... drum roll, please ... a 68-team tournament, only three more teams than the current field, beginning next year.
'I want to make very clear that there was no decision ever to go to 96,' NCAA interim President Jim Isch said during an hourlong teleconference, contrasting multiple reports suggesting 96 teams was the NCAA's intention.
TV officials said they don't need a 96-team field to excel financially.
'We are very comfortable with 68,' said Sean McManus, president of CBS Sports. 'That's what the deal is based on. And it meets all of our financial needs and programming needs.'
Later in the conversation, however, Isch left the door open for even more teams.
'Everything is still on the table,' he said.
But the NCAA's tournament point man, Greg Shaheen, the same Greg Shaheen who discussed a 96-team field at length during the Final Four, said he doesn't believe the NCAA will discuss a 96-team format 'in the near future.'
The true growth comes in the form of new TV options. Every NCAA tournament game will air live on one of four networks -- CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV -- with the Final Four alternating between CBS and TBS beginning in 2016. The new deal, which won't expire until 2024, also includes Internet and wireless rights.
In recent years, CBS offered online access to every NCAA tournament game. David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner -- the TV empire created by billionaire Ted Turner -- said the two media giants are still working out details about multimedia distribution of the tournament. Turner will now operate the popular March Madness On Demand player.
John Rash, a Star Tribune editorial writer and media expert, said altering the NCAA tournament's online availability would diminish its exposure to a large segment of the viewing audience that watches games at work.
Even though all games will be on TV, some fans won't have access to cable during the workday, when their favorite teams might play, he said.
Still, most Americans have access to the new networks that will offer NCAA tournament action, a plus for the event and the fan, Rash added.
'I think it's kind of reflective of the broader media environment,' Rash said about the new broadcast agreement.
The NCAA Division I men's basketball committee unanimously recommended 68 teams Wednesday night, which will require a play-in game in each region. The Division I Board of Directors will review the recommendation during a meeting next Thursday.
The NCAA drew 96 percent of its annual revenue from the NCAA tournament under the old 11-year, $6 billion deal with CBS. That makes it very unlikely the NCAA would sign this kind of mega-contract without near certainty that 68 will be the magic number after next week's meeting.
Though this new television deal puts makes every NCAA tournament game available on television without the use of a pay service for the first time in the event's 73-year history, it also brings the tournament back to cable, which (other than the play-in game) hasn't carried games since ESPN in 1990.
According to a recent Nielsen report, 61 percent of American homes have some form of cable. But truTV, known for its coverage of high-profile trials and reality TV programming, doesn't exactly resonate with sports fans. TBS and TNT have contracts with Major League Baseball and the NBA, respectively.
CBS received some of its best ratings in five years during this past season's NCAA tourney, following a recent lull.
Isch said the NCAA weighed a variety of competitive offers, with CBS and Turner outbidding ESPN.
'We made an aggressive bid and believe our combination of TV distribution, digital capabilities, season-long coverage and year-round marketing would have served the interests of the NCAA and college fans very well,' ESPN said in a statement. 'We remain committed to our unparalleled coverage of more than 1,200 men's and women's college basketball games each season.'
The Gophers found themselves on the bubble the past two seasons but earned NCAA tournament bids each time.
Athletic director Joel Maturi joked that he would feel much more secure with 96 teams in the field, but he praised the NCAA's preliminary decision to go with 68 teams.
The deal also calls for NCAA institutions and conferences to collect $740 million each year. But a committee will evaluate the current revenue split that gives 96 percent of the NCAA's revenue from the tournament back to its schools and conferences.
'The business part of me said something had to be done,' Maturi said. 'There's also a belief that more and more kids will have the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament. ... I was not opposed.'
He added: 'I would think that we're going to benefit and not be hurt by this.'
