CBS and Turner Sports Share in the (March) Madness!

In an unprecedented move, CBS will share its broadcasting duties and $10.8 billion cost of the rights to the new 68-team NCAA Tournament with Turner Sports and its affiliated networks which include TBS, TNT, and truTV. The new partnership will, for the first time, put the fan in control of programming and give us home access to every game throughout the tournament. Score!

Game analysis and commentary will be brought to you by CBS and Turner's familiar roster of broadcast talent: Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, Seth Davis, Len Elmore, Greg Gumbel, Ernie Johnson, Gus Johnson, Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr, Kenny Smith, Marty Snider, Matt Winer, and Tracy Wolfson.

This is certainly good news for the viewer. We can now assert our power and select which games we prefer to watch. In the past, I've always felt I was at the mercy of CBS to deliver the game(s) I was most interested in watching. This hit or miss approach has often left me disappointed, ruining my viewing experience.

Additionally, and most importantly, Gus Johnson fans are now guaranteed the opportunity to hear and revel in all of his calls. For me, this is the biggest win of them all! Gus will bless us with his awesomeness starting Wednesday night. Now, if CBS would wise up and assign him to the National Championship Game, my March Madness experience would be complete. If you agree, sign the official Put Gus Johnson on the National Championship Game Petition.

If you're left scratching your head wondering what the hell truTV is and most importantly, if it's included in your basic cable package, the answer is yes. As you breathe a sigh of relief, I'm sure you're now left wondering if it's available in HD. Well, the answer is yes and no. It depends on your cable provider and location. Unfortunately, New York City Time Warner Cable sufferers customers like myself do not receive truTVHD.

The madness starts tonight with truTV First Four at 6:30 PM/ET. Do yourself a favor, save yourself some time and locate the channel number in advance.

Living on a budget and no longer have cable? If you have the internet, you don't have to miss any of the action. All of the games will be available on the NCAA Tournament's website via March Madness on Demand.

OR, if you have an iPhone, iPod, or iPad, you can download a number of apps to manage your brackets and watch the games on-the-go. Read more at Technorati and Digital Trends.

Good luck with your brackets and finding truTV.

Let's go Big East!!