Stock-footage firm Thought Equity is teaming with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and CBS Sports to make archive footage of college sports easily available to avid fans.
Through the new service, called NCAA On Demand, consumers will have access to the entire NCAA Championship Collection containing nearly 5,000 games in various sports, some dating back to the 1930s. The Collection is available for purchase on DVD, with select content available for digital download and through free Internet streaming.
NCAA On Demand, which is also available through online retailer Amazon, currently offers full-game broadcasts available for purchase on DVD from NCAA men's and women's championships, including basketball, ice hockey, wrestling, baseball, softball and lacrosse. Additional programming, such as replays of every game in the 2006 Division I Men's Basketball Championship and highlight reels of legendary players, is available through free Internet streaming.
According to Thought Equity, hundreds of hours of game footage are being digitized each month and soon NCAA On Demand will cover all 23 NCAA sports and 88 championships.
"NCAA On Demand has always been a big part of our vision for making the NCAA video archive more accessible and valuable," said Kevin Schaff, CEO of Thought Equity, in a statement. "Since we took over the management of the archive in 2005, we have had thousands of requests for classic games from fans and former student-athletes from all over the country. Through our partnership with the NCAA, we are proud to be able to make these moments accessible to the people who created them."
