CBS expects the number of people watching videos online through its March Madness On Demand will attain double digit growth this year over the 1.4 million subscribers in 2007. Last year, CBS offered the first 56 games streamed online. This year, CBS will offer all 63 games streamed online in their entirety.
Initial numbers won't be available until tomorrow, but CBS has already seen growth in March Madness On Demand in 2008. CBSsports.com offers VIP viewer "passes" to people who sign up early for March Madness On Demand. Since only a certain number of people can watch the streaming games because of bandwith constraints, a VIP pass will let a person get higher priority among everyone trying to watch the streaming game.
Last year, 450,000 VIP passes were available. This year, CBS started with an allotment of 500,000 VIP passes but had to open an additional 100,000 VIP viewer "passes" after initial demand surpassed supply.
Online video is growing quickly online. It seems like more and more television shows and sporting events are being offered online through some form of online video. Marketers who jump on the opportunity early should gain some valuable learnings and truly be able to leverage the medium in the future.
What do you think about marketing in (or around) online video?
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