CBS has partnered with NCAA to launch its 2007 NCAA March Madness on-demand service. MMOD is an online player that provides live streaming video free of charge during the 56 games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship broadcast by CBS Sports.
MMOD debuted in 2003 and was presented free of charge for the first time in 2006, which resulted in more than 19 million video streams and five million visits. To accommodate an even greater audience this year, CBS SportsLine has doubled the bandwidth capacity for MMOD. It has also issued a new crowd control feature, the "virtual waiting room." If demand exceeds peak capacity during the tournament, virtual lines will form. Registered users can pre-register to obtain VIP status or risk longer wait lines in the general admission area.
Other new features include a larger MMOD video screen, live radio broadcasts and a live halftime show. The screen is 50 percent larger this year, up 480x360 pixels from 320x240 pixels in 2006. CBS SportsLine is providing streaming live audio from Westwood One's radio broadcasts of the first 56 games of the tournament via the MMOD player. CBS SportsLine is producing a live halftime show called, "At the Half," that features CBS SportsLine's Jason Horowitz.
Other features include the "Boss Button," full tournament scoreboard and live brackets, historical tournament highlights, archived footage, "buzzer beaters," and more.
NCAA March Madness on Demand is available at NCAAsports.com, as well as via MMOD links on CBS SportsLine.com and CSTV.com.
