Meck Deck passes along interesting Sports Business Journal article on 2014 NCAA Final Four TV coverage:
In an unprecedented move, Turner Sports and CBS will produce three different telecasts for each of the two national semifinal games, each with its own set of announcers. The traditional national telecast will run on TBS, while TNT and truTV will carry the same games at the same time with announcers and camera angles customized to each specific team.
….Let’s say the country’s top two teams last week — Kentucky and Michigan State — meet in one semifinal. TNT would use announcers with connections to Kentucky during its telecast, while truTV would use a Michigan State-focused crew for its production. Turner officials have not decided what types of talent they will pursue and maintain that all options for using unique personalities are on the table.
College hoops fans are as self-absorbed as anyone —if not more so— props to TBS for at least knowing its audience. That said, it’s never good when a sport is relegated to cable —- CBS is doing the finals this season and next, but in ’16 Turner gets the finals and then will alternate with CBS in coming seasons.
Bonus observation Talked to a Dook fan today and he said —as did more than few experts — that more free throws as a result of new hand check rules will ‘slow the game to a snail’s pace.’
More free throws — not what Tar Heel want to hear right now.
