Their eight-year, $1.73 billion deal expires in 2002, but CBS is trying to head off competition from ABC/ESPN, Fox and ISL United States through an early negotiation of a new deal. At least one CBS rival is willing to offer at least $4 billion over 10 years.
According to The Washington Post, NCAA president Cedric Dempsey said his organisation has been exploring "how we look to the future," and although he said no
deal with CBS is imminent, he acknowledged that the NCAA had indefinitely extended CBS' exclusive negotiating period. Dempsey said he expected a deal by late autumn.
Wally Renfro, the NCAA's director of public relations, added, "We have the ability to talk to anybody (other companies), and we have not. Certainly what we do have is that we will not enter into any agreement until we have concluded negotiations with CBS."
The deal could also involve CBS acquiring NCAA marketing and licensing rights while enabling the NCAA to deliver live video and audio coverage of some of its other championships via the Internet.
Jim Wheeler, president of ISL United States, told USA Today that he would be willing to pay $4 billion to wrap up the TV rights, Internet, licensing, marketing and sponsorship.
ESPN/ABC, which has five networks that could be used to televise every tournament game throughout the country, have also expressed an interest. "All along, we have said we have interest in it," ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said. "Our belief is that basketball fans would benefit from seeing every game nationally."
