CBS is taking over CSTV and will rename the network CBS College Sports Network, the change takes effect March 1st.
CBS Corporation acquired CSTV, in January 2006 for $325 million, and last month announced the integration of its business and programming operations into the CBS Sports division. Its many platforms for distribution include CSTV, CSTV XXL and All Access as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more. All will now be part of the CBS College Sports Network brand.
Among the acquisition’s is the CSTV.com website.
“CSTV has developed a significant online presence within the collegiate sports community, and CBSSports.com has become one of the leading destinations for professional sports coverage,” said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CBSSports.com. “These are two world class operations with complementary audiences, and, taken together, will give CBS Sports the most powerful and varied user profile in all sports media.”
The change to CBS College Sports Network, which will include the full integration of the CBS Sports on air style and graphics, follows the highly successful rebranding of the former CBS Sportsline.com to CBSSports.com last August. In the month following that change, CBSSports.com earned a 27 percent increase in users giving the site the highest growth rate among major sports sites.
As part of CBS taking over CSTV the network will place an emphasis for developing original programming for the cable network. Anchoring that change will be the show College Sports Tonight, a 60-minute news and information program looking at the day in college sports and previewing upcoming events.
This move gives CBS something FOX and ABC have already had a cable sports network. FOX operates the FSN, FOX Sports Network and FSC, FOX College Sports. ABC has the ESPN family of networks which include ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News and ESPNU.
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