CBS' & Directv's March Madness Coverage Not Getting Bettor

[Arthur Schechter]

For years I have been preplexed by the confounding scheduling and untimely switching away from games in progess by CBS of the NCAA basketball tournament. So much so, that for once I would not be frustrated.

This season, I became one of those poors saps who shelled out $59 bucks for Mega March Madness on Directv where supposedly I would not be frustrated by premature pull-out. (We all know how exasperating that can be). Anyway, last Saturday's early second round game on CBS was George Washington vs. Duke. No other game ran opposite this one which meant uninterupted coverage...or so I thought.

However, through a multitude of fouls and commercials (and foul commercials) the game ran long. With just over 1 minute remaining and Duke up by about 13, CBS left the game to go to the beginning minutes of Florida v. Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Well, with the spread of the Duke-GW being 9, the winner may've been decided but the betting line was still in play.

Then, I remembered my fallback. I switched to Mega March Madness to see the final seconds of the GW-Duke game, but it wasn't there. Because the local CBS affiliate was scheduled to carry the game it wasn't picked up by Directv. I understand the blackout rule, but there should be a contingency plan. If CBS tags out of a game in progress, then Directv should tag in. Otherwise, what are we paying nearly $60 for?

This disrespectful infraction was repeated with other contests in the opening weekend of the tourney. If CBS thinks a game is no longer of consequence and can exit a "blowout" then they have misjudged a great deal of their audience. Bettors compose a large percentage of their March Madness and should not be ignored.

[bigboydan]

i agree to an extent with your comments bud.

just feel fortunate you weren't a bar owner. because DTV charges according to the seating capasity of your bar. usualy it's anywhere from $1500-$3,000 for that package.

[The Great One]

I agree. Just shows these peole that make over 100K a year are not smart enough to figure this out. Not like it's a hard deal. I haver the Mega March Madness package too, but I expect that is what they'd do because few people in this country are smart enough to figure simple things out. Just like Thursday, since the UCLA game started at 5:00 Eastern, and CBS's BS coeverage ended around that time, the game wasn't shown or at least the 2nd half. And it wasn't on the package either.

Whoever is responsible deserves to be tortured for 40 days and 40 nights as a reminder not to be a moron next year. If he makes the same mistake next year, kill him. That would send a message to his replacement. it's all about making the customers happy.

[fordhamrams]

you're on the $$$$

I had G-Dub plus the 9, and they pull out of the game with a buck and change left and Dukkies only up 13? CBS suits know that there are a lotta chumps out there like me who are watching the game within the game. But it spared me the agony of goin down the tubes with the A-10. Serves me right this year.

[pags11]

I never buy the crapy-ass package...sometimes I end up staring more at the ticker than I do the game I'm watching though...lol...

[Illusion]

I was pissed as well because I had action on that game. Something needs to be done in the future to prevent this from happening again.

[The Great One]

This package is probably going to come in handy on Thursday. I live in Indianapolis and will want to watch the Duke/LSU game. But the Bradley/Memphis game is on at the same time. Being that Bradley is in Illinois and Memphis is just 2 states south, something tells me the area will show the Memphis game in Indy and not the Duke game.

I get the package for Thursdays and Fridays really. Those are my favorite days of the tournament.

[bigboydan]

wild feeds is the best way to watch all the games guys