CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV Doing Fantastic Job with March Madness Coverage

We’re midway through the first day of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and the quality of games has been fantastic. We’ve seen a four seed get upset by a 13 seed, and there has been game-winner after game-winner after game-winner at the buzzer. You really can’t ask for much more in terms of having exciting, competitive games in March Madness.

What must really be commended is the new setup for the games schedule. For the first time I can remember, they decided to stagger the start times. There’s generally a good 15 minute difference between the time one game starts and another one does, which means we no longer have to miss really good endings. As long as the games aren’t taking too long — which they haven’t — the staggered start times allows viewers to see the final 10 minutes of pretty much every single game.

As if that’s not enough, having all games broadcast simultaneously is a dream for cable and satellite TV holders. In the past, a March Madness tournament package was offered and if you wanted to see all the games you had to pay a significant charge (and sometimes the game you wanted to watch still wasn’t accessible). Now, all games are available at no extra charge. And as a bonus, it’s extremely convenient to locate the games on DirecTV.

TNT is channel 245, truTV is 246, and TBS is channel 247 on DirecTV. Having all the channels right next to each other in the guide makes it too easy to find and watch all the games. In the past, I used to feel like I was constantly missing action because I had to rely on CBS to bring me the games. Now, everything is available, extremely accessible, and best of all, at different points in its action.

CBS must be commended for its presentation of the Tourney this year because it’s made for an extremely enjoyable fan experience. It really makes me wonder what took them so long to get it right!