CSTV to become CBS College Sports Network

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Any impact for FCS? It looks like a move to integrate CBS into the CSTV property. The questions are: will their new broadcast TV station continue to broadcast at least a few FCS games a year? And will they continue to broadcast FCS football games through their CSTV portal?

Good, or bad, for FCS?

http://sportsline.com/cbssports/story/10636901


Effective March 2008, CSTV will become the CBS College Sports Network, bringing the power of the CBS SPORTS name to yet another developing, cross-platform property. In addition, CBS Sports will begin developing proprietary programming for the cable network, and incorporate the growing online activities of CSTV into its industry-leading online operations.

The announcement was made today by Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports, and Tony Petitti, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer, CBS Sports, who will oversee day to day operations of the network.

As part of the reorganization, a new emphasis will be placed on developing original programming for the CBS College Sports Network, drawing on the top on-air and creative talents in the industry. Anchoring the lineup will be "College Sports Tonight", a news and information program examining the day's developments in the world of collegiate sports, and providing previews of upcoming events. The program will air twice a night. "College Sports Tonight" is just one of many new programs to be featured on the CBS College Sports Network. Additional programming will be announced shortly.

"We believe this rebranding will better position our college sports cable network in the competitive world of cable television distribution," said McManus. "It's hard to imagine a cable company going forward that will not welcome the CBS Sports branded channel to its cable systems. In this move, we further build on the value of this important new part of our company."

...

Additionally, CSTV's existing lineup of online properties will integrate to produce incremental value to CBS' online audience. The combination of CSTV's assets, including Max Preps, the most recognized information site in the high school sports business, with the interactive resources of CBS will create the industry's most coveted collection of sports-related Web sites.

[Go...gate]

Sounds a bit like ESPN and ABC....

[TheValleyRaider]

I'd guess probably little change, as CSTV was bought a couple of years ago and has been CBS is everything except name. If anything, this probably means more basketball coverage to get ready for the Tournament xtwocentsx

[Dane96]

I suspect little change. CSTV's original daddy, Fansonly, had a very tight working relationship with CBS dating back to 1998.

[HIU 93]

It will probably be little change. CSTV has been under the Viacom umbrella for several years now.

[Marcus Garvey]

Better brand recognition. This is a decision that makes sense. If you're Mikita Tools, and you buy some podunk, unknown tool maker, do you maintain their brand name, or do you slap your well-known name onto their product?

Of course it doesn't really matter to me. It's completely unavailable to me though my cable provider. Of course, they hook their customers up with the Fox Soccer Channel instead. xrolleyesx

[ERASU2113]

I'd guess probably little change, as CSTV was bought a couple of years ago and has been CBS is everything except name. If anything, this probably means more basketball coverage to get ready for the Tournament xtwocentsx

Maybe CBS will air the top FCS game of the week, rather than a SEC game...............doubt it xreadx xnonono2x

[furman94]

Better brand recognition. This is a decision that makes sense. If you're Mikita Tools, and you buy some podunk, unknown tool maker, do you maintain their brand name, or do you slap your well-known name onto their product?

Of course it doesn't really matter to me. It's completely unavailable to me though my cable provider. Of course, they hook their customers up with the Fox Soccer Channel instead. xrolleyesx

Yeah, and every Mexican channel under the sun!xbawlingx

[Marcus Garvey]

Yeah, and every Mexican channel under the sun!xbawlingx

Although, you gotta admire the lovely cheescake on those channels, particularly the "Tecate Girls!"

http://www.mightygloves.com/images/tg1.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/103/317182976_4573081013.jpg

[Retro]

CSTV has been gradually scaling back FCS games since it's first 2 seasons, when they didn't have any access to most FBS games.. Now that they have signed on with a few FBS conferences, that seems to be their priority. Like most major media, they are uneducated in thinking that only FBS teams draw viewers, sell tickets and produce quality football and can draw sponsors.. CBS will only use this network as an extra outlet for March Madness and Sec game of week alternates, etc.. Don't expect anything for the FCS until a non-NFL true Football only network comes along to cover it.

[Marcus Garvey]

CSTV has been gradually scaling back FCS games since it's first 2 seasons, when they didn't have any access to most FBS games.. Now that they have signed on with a few FBS conferences, that seems to be their priority. Like most major media, they are uneducated in thinking that only FBS teams draw viewers, sell tickets and produce quality football and can draw sponsors.. CBS will only use this network as an extra outlet for March Madness and Sec game of week alternates, etc.. Don't expect anything for the FCS until a non-NFL true Football only network comes along to cover it.

?????
FBS games draw more viewers and advertising than FCS. TCU-Utah has greater apeal to TV viewers than Wofford-Murray St. It's all about the $$$$

Turning down the opportunity to televise FBS conferences to do FCS games is a bad business decision.

[Retro]

Ok, App state vs Montana OR UL-L vs. Florida International? Which would be the better draw? It all depends on the teams involved. Of course a Team like TCU which has had much more success in it's past is going to be than Murray state?, but that doesn't hold true for every FBS team..

[dakotadan]

So how long before VS. becomes NBC Sports Network?

[Marcus Garvey]

Ok, App state vs Montana OR UL-L vs. Florida International? Which would be the better draw? It all depends on the teams involved. Of course a Team like TCU which has had much more success in it's past is going to be than Murray state?, but that doesn't hold true for every FBS team..

No, but for most teams it doesn. Regardless, the average college football viewer is too unknowledgable to recognize that App. St. is a better team than UL-U Picke'em or FIU. They recognize one is either I-A or I-AA (the idiotic FBS/FCS designation has not caught on with the general pubic), and will perceive I-A has better talent and competition. That's all that matters when you're selling advertising space for a football broadcast. Besides, the ratings I see in Monday's sports section for all college football broadcasts bear that out.

[BearsCountry]

CSTV's contracts is with Mountain West and Conference USA. Those schools have large tv markets and are fairly well known. Now with CBS they add SEC football to the list. It would be sucide for them to stop showing those games.

[Retro]

Yes, true for most, but were talking CSTV here.. They have the lower tier conferences for football.. Anyway, you give some marquee FCS games a chance to be on a reasonable network, i'm sure they will draw interest.. These networks really don't know, because they've never taken the chance to build the brand, that being FCS Football.. We just need to beat more FBS teams and keep building respect and maybe perception will be replaced by reality?

BTW, i'd like to see some actual game by game ratings for saturday afternoon/evening games for all the networks.. Never seen any broken down outside of media just mentioning games that get high ratings.

[Marcus Garvey]

BTW, i'd like to see some actual game by game ratings for saturday afternoon/evening games for all the networks.. Never seen any broken down outside of media just mentioning games that get high ratings.

The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) and Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) publish the ratings for weekend sporting events on Monday mornings. I suspect that if you take out the highly rated games of local interest (i.e., Arizona and Arizona St., some Pac-10 games), those markets probably show numbers typical of the national average.

[catamount man]

I will give ESPN U and ESPN Gameplan for showing more FCS games in 2007 than they ever have.

Until something better DOES come along, we will have to rely on the MASN, Sport South, CSS, Comcasts' of the world.

[TheBisonator]

I will give ESPN U and ESPN Gameplan for showing more FCS games in 2007 than they ever have.

Until something better DOES come along, we will have to rely on the MASN, Sport South, CSS, Comcasts' of the world.

Don't forget a lot of the FSN affiliates...;)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Here's my big concern. CSTV XXL carried a lot of regional games last year over the internet - notably, UNI/SIU and that wild finish, the regional CAA games that weren't carried on CN8, Delaware/Navy...

I'm worried that the removal of the CSTV brand will also remove these games from CSTV XXL. After all, it's going to be a CBS property. What happens to that?

At the very minimum, it looks like operations are getting taken over by CBS and the potential for further movement away from FCS exists.