March Madness Comes to iPad and iPhone March 7 for $3.99

Thursday February 16, 2012 2:50 PM PST by Jordan Golson
As it has in previous years, the NCAA division I men's basketball tournament -- also known as March Madness -- will be streamed both online and to iPhones and iPads. Unlike previous years, iPad and iPhone users will need to pay a $3.99 to watch the Big Dance. CBS and Turner are sharing the NCAA broadcast duties across four television stations. Here's how it breaks down:

Mac users will be able to watch all the CBS-broadcast games for free on CBSSports.com. Games aired on TBS, TNT and TruTV will be available to authenticated watchers of certain pay-tv providers.

For iPad and iPhone viewers, everyone will be required to pay a $3.99 fee to watch the entire tournament. That fee covers all devices, so no mucking about with authentication to watch tournament games on the Mac. Once the fee is paid, all 67 games will be streamable on iOS via Wi-Fi or 3G.

NCAA(r) March Madness(r) Live will offer higher quality live video streams across platforms; video highlights for every game of the Tournament on the iPhone and Android phones; live game alerts for Android phones, as well as iPhones and iPads; an updated design; and live radio broadcast courtesy of Westwood One/Dial Global Radio Network, for all 67 games across the suite of digital products. In addition to the new offerings, NCAA(r) March Madness(r) Live will again provide the same fan-favorite features from last year including: schedules and live game scoring, live tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, and live social companion views.
The NCAA March Madness apps for iPhone and iPad will go live on March 7, in time for the tournament to begin on March 13. Sign up on the NCAA's March Madness website to be notified when the apps go live.

38 comments

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jdsipod
101 months ago

$3.99! That sucks. Not this year...


Dude you would be paying $.06 a game, how is that not a deal
Rating: 5 Votes
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nsfw
101 months ago
People not willing to pay $4 for 67 games is whats wrong with media today. You expect everything to be free or your will steal it. The funny thing is you have no problem paying $4.25 for a non-fat mocha cappuccino.
I have no issue with the $4, I just think this will be a test to eventually charge $19.95 in the coming years.
Rating: 3 Votes
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Gatecitybee
101 months ago
Last year it was great on the iPad. $4 isn't very much at all for what you're getting.
Rating: 2 Votes
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jlgolson
101 months ago

Zero new features worth $4.

I think being able to watch the 67 games of the 2012 tournament qualifies as a "new feature", and a ton of people are going to pay it.

Reminds me of this... http://theoatmeal.com/blog/apps
Rating: 2 Votes
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Aussieiphone
101 months ago
ad-free?

Paying for ads? That went out with my cable subscription two years ago...(don't worry macrumors.com I sometimes give yours a click ;) - but I choose)

It's not like college kids are paid to play anyway:confused:
Rating: 1 Votes
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Tilpots
101 months ago

I'd probably pay $9.99 for the app, if it has Airplay I'd be willing to pay $14.99. The thing is at $10, $15, or $20 it is no longer an impulse buy for me, and I'll think about if I really, really "need" it. At $5, it is an impulse buy and whether I watch games all weekend long on it or two games the entire tourney I feel like I got my monies worth.


AirPlay support would certainly influence my decision. That's a very good point, it's also a feature absent from last years version.

I guess part of me feels hesitant about CBS, too. I remember watching several games last year that froze up or switched to "Audio Only" at crucial moments in a game. No big deal, cause it was free but if I'd paid for it? I'd have been soooo ticked. Anybody who plays Fantasy Football with CBS knows how crappy their app was for that this season. It was virtually unusable.
Rating: 1 Votes
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darkslide29
101 months ago
Oh no, the tournament will start near the end of my billing period. If I hadn't hit 2 GB already by then, AT&T will throttle me for sure after streaming a couple of these games. :mad:
Rating: 1 Votes
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btdpi007
101 months ago
I am astounded by the fact that people don't want to pay $4 for an app. Fifteen... um, ten.... five years ago if I was told I could get quality software (the word apps wasn't really in our lexicon before the iPhone) for $10 I would've been floored, but for $1, $2, and even $4 I am in awe. There are times when a free app fits my needs, but I'll purchase the "pro" version to support the developer.

Really, in 2006 if someone said listen I can give you access to the entire NCAA Mens BB tourney for $4, I wouldn't have even hesitated and would've turned around and mouthed "sucker".

If $4 is not in your budget or you feel it's too expensive, enjoy watching the games on CBS, TBS, etc.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Moyank24
101 months ago
$4 is more than worth it for me...I work nights - so I'm psyched to be able to watch them on my phone.

For those who think $4 is too much $$ - :rolleyes:
Rating: 1 Votes
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Tilpots
101 months ago
For those of you who don't mind paying, I'm curious, how much is too much? At $9.99 would you still consider it a steal? $15.99? Where do you draw the line? Ape fans have proven time and time again they're willing to pay a premium, so when all of you buy in this year, where do you think they'll raise it to next year?
Rating: 0 Votes
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