Seven years ago, CBS and Turner Sports agreed to an eight-year media rights extension to continue broadcasting March Madness games through 2032. Five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court shot down PASPA.
Since you're here, you probably have a pretty good notion that these events have a synergistic relationship. In fact, the latter may have made the former one of the greatest sports bets of all time.
The networks' original deal with the NCAA, signed in 2010, was set to expire in 2024. By the end of the current contract, March Madness games will have aired exclusively on CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV for 22 consecutive seasons. That puts those media companies at the center of not only one of the top events on the U.S. sporting calendar, but arguably top event for legal sports betting all year.
Unlike the Super Bowl, which takes place over about four hours, this one lasts three weeks.