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NCAA March Madness Live app comes to iOS, Android by tourney tip-off
Following in last year's steps, the NCAA and Turner Sports have taken the wraps off their March Madness 2012 goodies for handsets, slates and PCs. Though, unlike its 2011 variants, you'll now have to part ways with a one-time $3.99 charge in order to catch your favorite college team in action. Paying such a fee will give you an all-access ticket to watch every game during the tournament, which gets rolling this Tuesday, March 13th. Moreover, you'll also be able to customize channels to your viewing pleasure, test your knowledge in live trivia and check out how the bracket's shaping up. The action-packed March Madness Live app is available now to folks on iOS, with the Android version coming to "selected" devices by the time the tourney is underway.
March Madness streams to more platforms in 2012, but not everything is free
Last year CBS and Turner Sports brought every game of the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament home in HD on four cable channels, and streaming for free to PCs and iOS devices. While the broadcast plans remain the same this year, if you want to stream the 41 games broadcast on cable networks then you'll need to subscribe to an affiliated TV provider (all the major guys except Time Warner) and log into the TNT, TBS, or TruTV website on your Windows PC or Mac. For the other 41 games broadcast on CBS, CBSSports.com is your (free) online resource. Live streaming on mobiles (over WiFi or 3G) has been extended to the Android platform for the first time, however after being offered for free last year the rebranded March Madness Live app will cost $3.99 this time around, which is still less than the $10 it cost in 2010. Check out the press release after the break for all the details on what's viewable where -- cord cutting sports fans will want to make some alternate arrangements.
Former Celtics coach suing EA, NCAA over misuse of likeness
Former Boston Celtics center and coach Bill Russell is suing both Electronic Arts and the National Collegiate Athletic Association over what he claims is a misuse of his likeness. In his complaint, Russell accuses EA and the NCAA of illegally using his image for the "Tournament of Legends" mode in the NCAA game franchise, and says he hasn't been offered money or asked for consent. Russell's complaint isn't the first of its kind to be made against the sports game giant, with one case being successful against EA while another, more recent one was dismissed on First Amendment grounds. For its part, the NCAA sympathizes with Russell, but doesn't necessarily agree with his complaint. It said the suit and others like it "would cause the NCAA to lock up its archive of champion contests, and they would be held hostage unless every student-athlete, coach, band member, cheerleader and fan in a photo or camera shot received compensation." EA, on the other hand, withheld comment.
Court dismisses QB's case against EA over image usage in NCAA Football
Ex-Rutgers University quarterback Ryan Hart has had his lawsuit against Electronic Arts dismissed by US District Judge Freda Wolfson, reports Reuters. The suit alleged that EA knowingly used Hart's likeness in NCAA Football without his consent, and as such should be required to provide Hart with compensation. In this case, Hart's "likeness" amounts to his physical appearance and footballery stats, not his actual name. Judge Wolfson dismissed the suit on the grounds that EA's First Amendment rights to free expression outweigh Hart's right to protect his likeness, despite the fact that the character in question was "designed with Hart's physical attributes, sports statistics, and biographical information in mind." Wolfson feels that the game's robust character customization options negate the impact of these similarities, as they are not set in stone. This ruling contradicts a precedent set by a similar case in 2010, in which a California judge allowed a suit by ex-Arizona State University/University of Nebraska quarterback Samuel Keller, a decision which EA is currently appealing. Speaking of appeals, Hart's legal representation is naturally appealing the Judge's ruling, calling the outcome "a major disappointment." As is the way with this sort of thing, it will likely be several months before any progress is made by either party. Until then, enjoy this bathroom stall poem we've penned for the occasion: "Here I sit all broken Harted, tried to sue but got Electronic Arted."
USA Today: EA could lose over $1B in NCAA athlete suit
USA Today has calculated that Electronic Arts could face $1 billion in damages if it eventually loses a class-action lawsuit brought against the publisher and the NCAA by former college athletes. The lawsuit, which has been ongoing for two years, revolves around compensation for athletes' likenesses being used in EA's NCAA football and basketball games. The Cliff's Notes version of the math works a little something like this: the law apparently says each player can be awarded $1,000 per likeness, per platform. This ends up being about $305.5 million for all the football players and $29 million for basketball players, a total of $334.5 million. Now, if the judge decides EA and the NCAA were "knowing, willful or intentional" in their compensation violation, the amount can be tripled under the Indiana publicity rights statute for damages over a billion dollars. EA's official statement, provided by EA corp. comm VP Jeff Brown: "We could lose billions more if a giant meteor hits the earth. We're not planning for either outcome."
More iAds appearing on iPad
CNET reports that more iAds are starting to appear on the iPad platform. Apple released an iAd for the magical and revolutionary tablet last year featuring the Tron movie, but since then, we haven't seen a lot of traffic in iAd impressions on the platform. That's now changed; a new ad for Unilever features NCAA branding and offers video of basketball stars, daily March Madness schedules and even a trivia game to play. Apple has reportedly promised more iAds to come. It may seem silly to be so excited about an ad, but given the troubles that the iAd program has had lately, it's good to see Apple making some headway in providing its "premium mobile advertising platform." Looks like the recent changes to minimum buy, along with the rising popularity of the iPad and its second version, have seen business pick up a bit. [via MacStories]
NCAA Football 12 cover athlete determined by fan vote
Cover athletes for EA Sports' NCAA Football series may not get the same attention as Madden's leading men -- but hey, at least they're not cursed. In fact, you can help the next young star get "lucky" by voting him onto the cover of NCAA Football 12.
Tim Tebow named NCAA Football 11 cover star
Who knows where ex-University of Florida QB Tim Tebow will end up in the upcoming NFL draft, but one thing's for certain: he's landed himself on the cover of NCAA Football 11. The celebrated quarterback ends his collegiate career with one last highlight before going pro -- an honor bestowed on just 18 others in the history of the series. Tebow is known for his decorated college football career, having won the Heisman Trophy is 2007 as a sophomore (the first to do so) and the Davey O'Brien award in the same year for being "the nation's best quarterback." But did you know that he was born in the Philippines? Bet you didn't know that! How about the fact that he spent his final three summers as a high school student in his country of birth helping his father with missionary work? Also true! And now, well now he's on the cover of NCAA Football 11.
EA Sports mines your football data, and makes example out of Favre
Brett Favre is one of the all-time greats. Still, he throws one untimely interception, and that's all people talk about. Just imagine if he threw 7 and a half million! That's the number EA highlighted during its EA Sports Opener last night in an extraordinary example of the game data the company collects from its players. According to EA, Favre -- under our control -- has thrown 7,564,282 picks and counting. That's Hall of Shame material for sure. Each game of Madden played generates a single line of code, and that code gets sent to EA to the tune of over 173 million data instances every day. The company is mining all of this data in an attempt to make its Madden and NCAA Football games better every time you play them, but short of John Madden himself showing up at your door to explain what you're doing wrong, look for Favre to keep adding to the INT column. %Gallery-87893%
Court denies EA's motion to dismiss former NCAA player's lawsuit
We've been on pins and needles since last May, when we first heard about former NCAA football player Samuel Keller's lawsuit against EA, which claimed that his likeness and the likenesses of his former athletic colleagues had been used in the company's games without permission. According to court documents obtained by Patent Arcade, there was a development in the case last week: The U.S. District for the Northern District of California denied EA's motion to dismiss Keller's claims outright. According to the aforementioned court documents, EA's defense claimed the NCAA series' in-game players were subject to "significant transformative elements," which allowed the title to be protected by the First Amendment. The court saw differently, however, ruling that "EA's game goes beyond mere reporting of 'just the players' names and statistics; it offers a depiction of the student athletes' physical characteristics and, as noted, enables consumers to control the virtual players on a simulated football field." In short, Keller's complaints have garnered some traction in the California court. We'll likely be hearing more on this case -- we just hope we don't have to wait eight and a half months before the next update comes.
EA tells NCAA Basketball games to hit the showers, 'reviewing' future of franchise
"We do not have an NCAA Basketball game in development at this time, and we're currently reviewing the future of our NCAA Basketball business," said EA Sports' senior director of communications David Tinson in a recent Game Informer interview. "This was a difficult decision, but we remain a committed partner to the NCAA and its member institutions." It's an odd move, considering EA's biggest rival, 2K Sports' NCAA College Hoops series, hasn't seen any new releases since its 2K8 installment, leaving the market wide open. Tinson confirmed that the team responsible for the series won't be laid off, but rather assimilated into the NBA Jam and NBA Live teams at EA Canada, dashing our hopes that an EA-developed Harlem Globetrotters game could come from this.
The best HD sports on TV this week
In what is the closet college football will ever get to a real championship game, #2 Alabama meets #1 Florida in Atlanta on Saturday at 4pm. This is probably the hottest ticket in college football too as you could buy a really nice HDTV for what a decent set of tickets to this are going for on the second hand market. As much as we are looking forward to college football this weekend, it also, sadly, marks the end of real football because we all know that bowl games are just glorified scrimmage games. So be sure to catch one of the other great conference championships before its too late. CFB #2 Alabama vs. #1 Florida CBS 4:00 PM Sat #10 Georgia Tech vs. Clemson 8:00 PM Sat #5 Cincinnati at #15 Pittsburgh ABC 12:00 PM Sat #3 Texas vs #22 Nebraska ABC 8:00 Sat NFL Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts CBS 1:00 PM Sun Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals NBC 8:20 PM Sun Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers ESPN 8:30 PM Mon NHL New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres 7:00 PM Wed Vs NY Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 PM Mon Vs NBA Boston Celtics at San Antonio Spurs 8:00 PM Thurs TNT Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers Fri 8:00 PM ESPN
Sportacular updated for (fantasy) football
I only follow a few sports teams, but for the teams I do follow, Sportacular (that's the iTunes link for the free version, and here's the paid version, sans ads) is definitely my app of choice. For nearly every professional sport you can think of, the app will track scores, plays, schedules, standings, and anything else you need to know about everything from NFL to college football to the English Premier League and the PGA. Right after iPhone OS 3.0 came out, the developer added in push notifications, and now I've got push updates coming whenever the Cubs have a game starting and ending (or at least, when they did -- there's always next year) and whenever a Bears quarter ends. Sportacular even has a few social features happening -- you can make picks and discuss each game with other fans using your Facebook login, as well as read news and updates about each team in the games you check out.The app was updated to version 1.6 last night, and the new features include better game pages for NFL and NCAA football, and option to manage and track your fantasy football team in conjunction with their fantasy football app on Facebook. The one bummer I have is that they don't have actual media of the games -- for that, you'll probably have to go for an official app. But especially as a free download (the ads are definitely non-intrusive), Sportacular is really impressive with everything it does to help you track your favorite sports and teams.
EA Sports facing litigation from NCAA football players
Man, EA Sports just can't catch a break. Not only is it reportedly under fire from a number of retired NFL players, but they could be facing litigation from incensed NCAA football players as well. The complaint is similar to that of the aforementioned pro ballers -- former Arizona State and Nebraska football player Samuel Keller recently filed a class action suit against EA for using the likenesses of his fellow collegiate athletes in NCAA Football and Basketball titles without any compensation.Just like in the NFL lawsuit, Keller claims that while the digital players lack monikers, they have the same jersey numbers, home states, height, weight, skin tone, hair color and hair style of their real-life counterparts. Sounds pretty similar to the complaints featured in the NFL retirees' successful suit against the NFLPA. We'll keep an eye on this one to see if Keller and the other college players get similar results.[Via GamePolitics]
U-verse TV subscribers score interactive college basketball app
Make no mistake -- legions of cube-dwellers will be tuning into March Madness On Demand this Thursday, but those lucky / unlucky enough to be sitting at home in front of their U-verse TV DVR can enjoy one other luxury: an interactive application. AT&T has partnered up with Yahoo! Sports in order to add in a free college basketball U-bar app that will give March Madness fans the ability to view tournament brackets, their personalized completed bracket, game summaries and box scores, and video clips of game analysis / commentary with a simple remote click. Nah, it's no DirecTV-like four-screens-in-one, but it's definitely better than anything offered up on cable. Check out a simple video demonstration here.
March Madness comes to the iPhone
The NCAA and CBS Sports have teamed up to stream the upcoming Men's College Basketball Championship tournament for free online at NCAA March Madness on Demand. You can watch the "high quality" videos online for free, but even more interesting is a nifty $4.99 iPhone / iPod touch app (iTunes link) which allows you to watch every game from the first round to the National Championship. Unfortunately, this will only work over WiFi and not 3G. Nonetheless, if you've a big college hoops fan this looks like a must-have app.CBS Sports NCAA March Madness On Demand is $4.99 from the iTunes Store.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Clemson develops ballin' system to measure slam dunk intensity
For those of you who think knowing the miles per hour of each pitch is the best part of a baseball game -- and sometimes, it really is -- Clemson University civil engineering professor Scott Schiff and his students have created a system that'll measure the force of the dunks and display it on the overhead screens instantly. In one game against East Carolina, Clemson forward Raymond Sykes managed a dunk that measured 30 G's -- which we're told is mighty impressive, but really, we don't have much comparison at this point. The team hopes its system gets adopted for other venues, and for sake of having more excuses to stare at the giant TVs and not the court, we hope so, too. Hit up the read link to see video of the system in action.[Via PhysOrg]
Microsoft's Silverlight to deliver NCAA March Madness on Demand in HD
Fantastic news, cube dwellers -- you can finally put that office T1 to use this year, as CBSSports.com has inked an agreement with Microsoft that will enable it to provide a 1.5 megabits per second stream of March Madness. In other words, you'll be able to watch the 64 most deserved teams scrap it out online in HD for that all important National Championship. Employers, hear this: just go ahead and give your folks a few days off. It's not like they'll be even remotely productive with MMoD coming at 'em in high-def.[Via ZatzNotFunny]
College Basketball Invitational signs up with HDNet
The Super Bowl isn't even underway, and our HD gluttony is already warming up for March college basketball. Only a couple of years old, the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) has agreed to bring its 16 team bracket to HDNet in March. Normal folks might think that three basketball tournaments running simultaneously from the second half of March to the beginning of April -- the NCAA, NIT and CBI -- might be too much, but serious fans (or those unfortunate enough to have favorite teams spread across tournaments) know better. For those people, we suggest getting a hold of as many tuners as you can and buying Visine in bulk.
NCAA Basketball 09 demo technical fouls the XBLM
This morning, EA placed a freshly picked NCAA Basketball 09 demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace and, really, what more is there to say?It's an 875MB download. It's also rated "E". Umm, the demo also features an orange basketball and a bunch of college teams. We're guessing the court is made out of wood. Did we mention the NCAA Basketball 09 demo is 875MB? Well, it is ...
