NCAA March Madness on Demand delivering traffic
By Ronald O Carlson
More evidence that more people are turning off cable, or is it that fans just can’t get enough and need everywhere access to the scores and highlights? That said, although the early numbers are way, way up, given the some limitations built into this app, and the reportedly wretched streaming video quality, you might want to think twice before spending the money.
Who wants to watch the NCAA playoff games on a tiny screen? Apparently, CBS Sports March Madness on Demand ($5, iTunes) app for the iPhone and iPod touch is a huge success or at least that’s the story told by Bloomberg, which reports that 2009 mobile traffic is up a whopping 56 percent over last year with more than a week still left in the month:
“NCAA March Madness on Demand continues to regularly exceed our most optimistic expectations,” said Sean McManus, president, CBS Sports. “The combination of the television ratings being up 9 percent and the continued steady growth of the Internet and wireless provides unprecedented viewing options for the fans and maximizes the Network’s NCAA bundled rights agreement.”
That is the good news. The not so good news comes via this Macworld review, which can be summed up neatly with this stinging rebuke:
“Video quality is too inconsistent, the Wi-Fi-only restrictions for video too burdensome, and the price of this particular app too high for what you get in return”—Philip Michaels, Macworld
That said, there are two things to remember about CBS Sports NCAA March Madness on Demand for iPhone: 1.) It’s pretty good vis-a-vis audio only stream and keeping up with the scores and stats (who needs a $5 app to do that?), 2.) for the same $5 you could get a six inch sub at Subway.
What are you hungry for?
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