NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday show to air on TBS for first time in 2018
For the first time since 1982, CBS will not carry the Selection Show
For the first time ever, the NCAA Selection Show will be carried by TBS.
The wildly popular bracket-revealing show which annually unveils all 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament field has aired on CBS since 1982. But Wednesday, it was announced that the show -- which will air at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 11 -- is moving to TBS this season. It will return to CBS in 2019.
According to John Ourand of SportsBusiness Daily, the terms of the NCAA Tournament rights deal signed by CBS and Turner Sports dictate that TBS has the rights to the show in 2018, and unlike two years ago when the network punted, it intends to exercise them.
According to terms of the NCAA Tournament rights deal signed by CBS and Turner Sports, the network that carries the Final Four and Championship game also has the rights to carry the Selection Show. Turner did not exercise that right two years ago when it carried the Final Four and Championship game, though it will this year. The Selection Show will return to CBS in '19 when the net carries the Final Four and Championship game.
In addition to the TV provider change, this year's format will also move to a two-hour show as opposed to a one-hour format. It will be hosted by Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson, and in studio joining them as analysts will be Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Seth Davis.
One month ahead of the Selection Show, Turner and CBS will present its second annual March Madness Bracket Preview show on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 12:30 p.m. on CBS, with the men's basketball selection committee offering an in-season look at the NCAA Tournament brackets. During the show, the current top 16 seeds -- the top four teams in each region -- will be revealed, giving fans an in-season preview of the committee's selection criteria and where the top 16 stand ahead of the Big Dance.
















