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Harris Corporation and CBS Sports to Broadcast 2009 NCAA(R) Division I Men's Basketball Final Four(R) and Championship Game in High-Definition

Posted on: Friday, 3 April 2009, 11:17 CDT

DETROIT, April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), an international communications and information technology company, and CBS Sports have teamed to deliver the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four in high-definition television (HDTV). CBS Sports will provide HD coverage of the national semifinal games this Saturday and the national championship game on Monday night from Ford Field in Detroit. This is the fourth year that Harris has sponsored CBS Sports' exclusive network HDTV broadcast of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, which began March 19 and concludes April 6.

As well as sponsoring all CBS Sports' HD telecasts of games during this year's NCAA basketball season, Harris has long been a key supplier of HD-enabling broadcast technology to the CBS Television Network. During this year's tournament, the Harris(R) NetVX(TM) video networking system is being used for signal backhaul from all the NCAA venues to the CBS Television Network in New York, and also for satellite distribution of the network programming to CBS affiliates nationwide. The Harris NetPlus(TM) 300 HD integrated receiver/decoder is used at each leg of the path to decode signals. Harris digital television transmitters and NetVX encoders deliver the final programming to many of the homes viewing CBS' HD coverage of the event.

In addition to broadcasting all 63 games, from the first-round to the championship game, of the 2009 tournament in high definition, CBS Sports has been providing live coverage of this year's event to viewers across multiple platforms. For the first time, NCAA March Madness(R) On Demand (MMOD), CBS Sports' free broadband service, has been streaming every tournament game in what CBS Sports is calling high-definition-quality video. In addition to network and cable television and broadband, CBS also is making live streams of the NCAA tournament available on some mobile devices.

"We are especially pleased to once again have Harris Corporation as our NCAA tournament HDTV broadcast sponsor, as we reaffirm CBS Sports' leadership in HD sports broadcasting by making this year's NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship a true multiplatform experience for the viewers," said Martin D. Franks, executive vice president, Planning, Policy and Government Relations, CBS Corporation.

"We are proud that CBS Sports is once again relying on Harris to support what is one of the most technically challenging sports broadcasting events of the year," said Howard L. Lance, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Harris Corporation. "The multiplatform aspect of this year's event enables CBS to reach their viewers in new and innovative ways, and Harris is dedicated to supporting broadcasters as they explore and implement these emerging broadcast business models."

About CBS

CBS Television is comprised of the CBS Television Network -- with more than 200 owned and affiliated stations reaching virtually every television home in the United States; the Network's programming arms CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports; and CBS Enterprises, a global leader in distribution.

About Harris Corporation

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annual revenue of $5.4 billion and 16,000 employees -- including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications(R) products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.

NCAA, Final Four and March Madness are trademarks either owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

SOURCE Harris Corporation

Source: PR Newswire

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