CBS Sports Network

The CBS Sports Network is a sports-oriented cable channel operated as a part of the sports division of CBS. It launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later CSTV), a multi-platform media brand which encompassed its TV network, collegesports.com, and a network of websites operated for the athletic departments of 215 college and universities.

CSTV was acquired by CBS in 2005, maintaining its original scope (and re-branded as the CBS College Sports Network) until 2011, when it was re-branded as just the CBS Sports Network to position it as a competitor to other mainstream sports channels.

History
The network's roots began in 1999 when Chris Bevilacqua approached co-founders of Classic Sports Network Brian Bedol and Stephen D. Greenberg – at that time, running Fusient Media Ventures, a New York-based sports and media company – with the idea for a network featuring all college sports all the time. Under the leadership of Bedol as CEO, the network launched as the National College Sports Network in June 2002 and was then renamed College Sports Television (CSTV) in February 2003. From their headquarters and studio operations at Chelsea Piers in New York City, CSTV was the first independent cable channel to appear nationwide, on the DirecTV satellite system, at launch.

In November 2005, it was purchased by CBS Corporation for $325 million. On January 3, 2008, it was announced that CSTV would be integrated into CBS Sports, with Tony Petitti, executive vice president and executive producer of CBS Sports taking over operational day-to-day management of CSTV, which would be overseen by Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports. CSTV co-founder Brian Bedol would become a senior advisor to CBS Corporation president and CEO Leslie Moonves. Petitti has since left CBS to take on the same role for the MLB Network.

In the fall of 2006, CSTV launched more than 100 broadband channels dedicated to college sports, which feature more than 10,000 live events. The subscription/pay-per-view service, called CBS College Sports XXL, and its portfolio of broadband channels in its All-Access suite, include coverage of Notre Dame, Southern California, Kansas, Ohio State and North Carolina.

CBS reorganization
On February 12, 2008, it was announced that, as part of the ongoing integration of CSTV into CBS Sports, that the network would be renamed the CBS College Sports Network on March 16, 2008, coinciding with CBS's coverage of the NCAA's basketball tournament. Studio shows were based at Chelsea Piers, and moved to the CBS Broadcast Center in 2012. As part of the re-launch, the network added a new news program, College Sports Tonight.

College Sports Tonight was canceled in 2010, but other studio shows (including Inside College Football, Inside College Basketball, and NCAA March Madness Highlights) still originate from the Chelsea Piers location.

On February 15, 2011, it was announced that CBS College Sports Network would rebrand itself as CBS Sports Network, effective April 4, 2011. The move was made in order to better compete against other mainstream sports services.

High Definition
CBS Sports Network did not begin producing HD programming until August 2008. The two NCAA tourney games in 2008, which were in HD on CBS, were converted to a standard definition feed. The HD feed is letterboxed on the SD feed, similar to how CNN, HLN, Fox News Channel, and Fox Sports presents their programming.

Programming
Since airing that first game, CBS Sports Network has televised thousands of hours of original programming, features, talk shows and documentaries as well as extensive women’s sports coverage. Its regular-season and championship event coverage draws from every major collegiate athletic conference and division, in addition to nine NCAA championships. CBS Sports Network televises 35 men’s and women’s college sports including football, basketball, baseball, Ultimate Frisbee, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, wrestling and volleyball from every major conference. The network holds multi-media and marketing rights for the Mountain West Conference, the Atlantic 10 Conference, Conference USA, the Big West Conference, the Patriot League, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Army football, and Navy athletics. In April 2006, the network organized the first Collegiate Nationals, a festival of championships dedicated to crowning champions in a wide variety of collegiate action sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding, and beach volleyball. More than 1,000 competitors converged on Reno-Tahoe to compete, the largest number ever for an event of its kind. For its second installment in 2007, the Collegiate Nationals added sports and other events such as national film and music competitions, as well as a second venue – San Diego. The third year, 2008, brought further changes, as the winter sports events were moved to the Keystone Resort near Boulder, Colorado and competitive eating was added.

In the fall of 2006, CSTV and Comcast launched the MountainWest Sports Network (colloquially known as The Mtn.), a network focusing exclusively on the Mountain West Conference. The relation with the network also gave CSTV exclusive online and broadcasting rights to Notre Dame's game at Air Force on November 11, 2006which caused controversy since CSTV did not have carriage as wide as the other networks which have aired Notre Dame games. The Irish have not visited a Mountain West team since.

On November 14, 2011, the National Lacrosse League announced that it had reached a two-year agreement with CBS Sports Network to televise eight regular-season and postseason games for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The acquisition gives CBS Sports Network its first professional sports broadcast rights.

April 3, 2012 saw the premiere of Rome, a self-titled sports news and talk program hosted by nationally syndicated radio host Jim Rome. Rome had recently left ESPN and his previous show, Jim Rome Is Burning, after signing on a new contract with CBS Sports.

On June 7, 2012, CBS Sports Network began to air the remaining games of the American Hockey League's 2012 Calder Cup Final between the Norfolk Admirals and the Toronto Marlies, starting with Game 3.

On July 26, 2012, the network signed a deal with the United Football League to televise its games for the 2012 season. The United Football League is a second-tier professional football league that began play in October 2009. The UFL pays for all production expenses and receives no rights fee from CBS Sports Network for the broadcasts. The league lasted approximately four weeks on CBS Sports Network before suspending operations halfway through its 2012 season.

In August 2012, CBS Sports Network began to offer coverage of tennis's US Open, including classic matches, coverage of qualifying matches, a pre-game show, and coverage of third and fourth round matches not shown by CBS.

On August 30, 2012, the network signed a deal with the NBA Development League to televise 12 regular games, as well as the 2013 NBA D-League Playoffs and Finals.

The network will televise nineteen regular season and two playoff games from the Arena Football League in 2013 and 2014. The ArenaBowl will air on CBS.

Carriage
CBS Sports Network is available on cable and satellite systems across the country, including DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon FiOS, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Bright House Networks, Blue Ridge Communications, Mediacom, RCN, Advanced Cable, and Bresnan.

In Canada, Rogers Cable started carrying CBS Sports Network on October 9, 2008, while Bell TV started carrying the channel on September 3, 2009.

In late February 2009, CBS Sports Network reached a new carriage deal with DirecTV, which allowed the satellite provider to move the channel from its add on "Sports Pack" to its base package "Choice Xtra". The channel was moved to the lower level package on February 25, 2009. The new agreement gave the channel a distribution of 30 million viewers.

On July 7, 2009, it was announced that Cox Cable will add the channel in Orange County, California and Arizona on August 1, 2009.

On February 17, 2010, AT&T U-verse added the network.

On August 1, 2011, Cable One added the network in select markets.

Personalities

 * Adam Zucker, Tracy Wolfson, Dave Baker, Sam Ryan, Molly Qerim, Brent Stover - Studio hosts


 * James Bates, Grant Boone, Todd Christensen, Brad Johansen, Dave Ryan, Jason Knapp, Tom McCarthy, Matt Shepard - Play-by-play announcers


 * Mateen Cleaves, Seth Davis, Pete Gillen, Doug Gottlieb, Steve Lappas, Jon Rothstein, Wally Szczerbiak, Steve Wolf - Basketball analysts


 * Doug Chapman, Randy Cross, Brian Jones, Tom Lemming, Houston Nutt, Brian Jones, Tom Lemming, Aaron Taylor, Ron Zook - Football analysts


 * Krista Blunk, Lisa Byington, Lauren Gardner - Football sideline reporters


 * Debbie Antonelli, Tammy Blackburn - Women's basketball analysts

Official athletic partnerships
In addition to their own website, CBS Sports Network also operates athletics websites for many college athletics organizations under its CBSSports.com College Network.

Competitors

 * ESPN
 * NBC Sports Network
 * Fox Sports 1 (August 2013)
 * Big Ten Network
 * Pac-12 Network