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CBS and Turner Sports announced its programming schedule for the upcoming 2015 NCAA Tournament in a press release issued on Tuesday afternoon.
Though mentioned last week, CBS and Turner confirmed the return of the well-received "TeamCasts" during the 2015 Final Four. These will be broadcasted on TNT and truTV, and are set to once again feature commentators with backgrounds with the respective schools in the Final Four.
Speaking of which, the extravaganza to take place in Indianapolis this April will be televised on TBS for the second year in a row. Games will air on Saturday, April 4 beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Pregame coverage will begin at 3 p.m. with the CBS/Turner Sports produced Road to the Final Four show beginning at 3 p.m., which will be followed The Final Four Show, a 2-hour pregame lead up to the event.
The NCAA National Championship Game will air on CBS for the 34rd straight season on Monday, April 6, 2015 at 9 p.m. ET. It will be preceded by Capital One Championship Central at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
The First Four will be televised on truTV on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18. Coverage will commence with a half hour pregame show starting at 6 p.m. ET, before games are set to begin at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET.
Per the press release, CBS is going to broadcast 22 games during the tournament, while the networks of Turner will be airing 49 across its three networks. Those being TBS, TNT and truTV. The leader of that pack is TBS, who will broadcast 20 while truTV airs 15 and TNT televises 14.
Below is the full press release, per CBS and Turner Sports:
March 10, 2015
Turner Sports and CBS Sports Announce 2015 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Programming Schedule
Final Four® to Air on TBS; CBS to Broadcast National Championship
“TeamCasts” of Final Four National Semifinal Games Return to TNT and truTV
For the fifth consecutive year, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will provide live coverage of all 67 games from the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – and NCAA March Madness Live.
CBS will broadcast the National Championship for the 34th consecutive year on Monday, April 6, from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Coverage will tip off with a pre-game show, Capital One Championship Central, from 8:30-9 p.m. ET.
For the second consecutive year, TBS will televise the NCAA Final Four. TBS will air the national semifinal games on Saturday, April 4, with game action beginning at 6 p.m.
Additionally, Turner Sports and CBS Sports will offer team-specific, originally produced telecasts of the Final Four with the return of its “TeamCasts” on TNT and truTV. The “TeamCasts” are tailored specifically for each of the Final Four teams competing. The four unique telecasts, two airing on TNT and two on truTV, will feature separate announce teams and multiple viewing options highlighting each of the competing schools.
On-site Final Four studio coverage airing on TBS on Saturday, April 4, will begin with Road to the Final Four from 3-4 p.m., followed by the Final Four Show from 4-6 p.m.
The Regional Finals games will again be split by TBS and CBS, with TBS airing the games on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 6 p.m. – with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. with the Infiniti Tip-Off show – and CBS airing the games on Sunday, March 29, starting at 2 p.m.
The 2015 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will tip off in primetime with the NCAA First Four™ on truTV presented by Northwestern Mutual on Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. both nights.
The networks’ joint coverage also includes the return of NCAA March Madness Confidential, providing behind-the-scenes access with NCAA Tournament bound teams. Production crews will be embedded with the teams beginning Selection Sunday with features airing throughout coverage across the networks, as well as on NCAA.com, chronicling their NCAA Tournament journeys.
Additional highlights (complete telecast schedule attached):
- CBS will broadcast 22 games throughout the tournament including the National Championship, Elite 8®, Sweet 16® and second and third rounds.
- Turner will air 49 game telecasts across its three networks (TBS, TNT and truTV).
- TBS will televise 20 contests including the Final Four, Elite 8, Sweet 16 and games in the second and third rounds.
- truTV, including the First Four™, will air a total of 15 games also spanning the second and third rounds, along with the Final Four TeamCasts.
- TNT will televise 14 games including second and third round match-ups, along with the Final Four TeamCasts.
CBS Sports and Turner Sports will again present integrated game and studio productions across the four networks with pregame, halftime, bridge and post-game shows from studios in New York City and Atlanta. Studio shows include The Road to the Final Four® and Infiniti NCAA Tip-Off pre-game shows, AT&T at the Half, Capital One Tournament Central and the Inside March Madness® presented by Buick post-game show.
Accompanying the live television presentation, NCAA March Madness Live will once again be the ultimate digital destination for direct access to all 67 games of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, along with live streaming of the three distinct presentations of the NCAA Final Four National Semifinals for both games.
Follow us on Twitter: @MarchMadnessTV and NCAA.com for schedule updates and the latest NCAA Tournament broadcast news and information.