Sports Technology & Communications News from Around the World

According to the NCAA, 181 million viewers take in March Madness on television, online and out-of-home platforms. The 67 games that are part of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is the ideal event for today's technology by providing a shared experience using social media, mobile, and the Internet throughout the country for almost 3 weeks. Advertisers also see this event as one of the most desirable targets because of the demographics it represents. To ensure its customers can access the tournament across all mediums, Cox (News - Alert) Communications has announced it is making it available on TV, PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

The coverage began yesterday and the Men's Final Four and National Championship Game will be televised from North Texas on April 5 and April 7. Viewers will be able to see all the games on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.

Viewers who want to use their smartphone and tablets to watch the games can do so live through the March Madness Live app on devices with Android (News - Alert) and iOS platforms. If for some reason this application is not available, customers can use the Contour and Cox TV Connect apps to watch the games.

For those choosing to watch the games on their computer they can use their Cox User ID and Password to sign in to www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live without having to register on CBS. Customers who have Cox High Speed Internet and TV Essential will be automatically authenticated based on the type of service they have subscribed to when they access these sites in their home. If they are accessing the services outside the home they will be required to login with their Cox user ID and password.

Fifty-one percent of March Madness fans plan to follow the tournament at work using mobile applications. According to a survey commissioned by SOASTA (News - Alert), provider of cloud and mobile testing, and conducted by Harris Poll, 38 percent of 18-34 year old respondents shared their concern about the performance of web and mobile sites saying they might not work properly during the tournament. The latest proof of a popular site going down because of demand was HBO GO when it showed its very popular show True Detectives.

The survey also revealed 74 percent of smartphone and tablet owners used at least two types of devices at the same time to follow the tournament. This included a combination of desktop PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets and televisions.