<br> By <a class="c-link lrv-a-unstyle-link" href="https://variety.com/author/brian-steinberg/" > Brian Steinberg</a> <br>Senior TV Editor<br> Sometimes, more of a good thing may not be great.<br> With just days to go before the start of the NCAA’s annual — and popular and lucrative — March Madness men’s basketball tournament, the top executives of Paramount Global’s <a href="https://variety.com/t/cbs-sports/" id="auto-tag_cbs-sports" data-tag="cbs-sports" >CBS Sports</a> and Warner Bros. Discovery’s <a href="https://variety.com/t/tnt-sports/" id="auto-tag_tnt-sports" data-tag="tnt-sports" >TNT Sports</a> sounded skeptical about the potential to extend the field for more teams to participate in future editions.<br> “No one wants to do anything that’s going to negatively impact the tournament, and that’s where the focus is,” said David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, in remarks made to reporters Tuesday. <div class="injected-related-story // lrv-u-margin-tb-1" > <h2 id="title-of-a-story" class="c-title lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-padding-t-075 lrv-u-padding-b-050 lrv-a-font-secondary-l u-color-black"> Related Stories </h2> <div class="lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-border-t-1 lrv-u-border-b-1" > <div class="lrv-u-display-block lrv-a-children-border-vertical a-children-border--light-grey-tint-two" > <article class="o-card lrv-u-flex lrv-u-padding-tb-075"> <div class="c-lazy-image lrv-u-flex-shrink-0 u-width-125 lrv-u-margin-r-1"> <a href="https://variety.com/vip-special-reports/ai-training-consent-content-licensing-special-report-1236307878/" class="c-lazy-image__link lrv-a-unstyle-link" > <div class="lrv-a-crop-3x2" style=""> <img class="c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto" src="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/featured_ai_SR_v9.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1" data-lazy-src="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/featured_ai_SR_v9.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1" alt="Icons representing film, music, books and news connected by AI nodes and lines" data-lazy-srcset="" data-lazy-sizes="" height="" width="" decoding="async"> </div> </a> </div> <div class="o-card__content u-width-180"> <span class="c-span lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-font-family-basic lrv-u-line-height-normal lrv-u-padding-b-075 lrv-u-font-size-12 u-font-size-13@tablet u-color-brand-vip-primary"> <a href="https://variety.com/vip/" class="c-span__link lrv-a-unstyle-link a-content-ignore"> VIP+ </a> </span> <h3 id="title-of-a-story" class="c-title lrv-a-font-primary-xs lrv-u-font-weight-bold lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-display-block u-margin-b-075@tablet u-color-medium-grey:hover a-content-ignore"> <a href="https://variety.com/vip-special-reports/ai-training-consent-content-licensing-special-report-1236307878/" class="c-title__link lrv-a-unstyle-link a-content-ignore" > AI Training – Consent & Content: A Special Report </a> </h3> </div> </article> <article class="o-card lrv-u-flex lrv-u-padding-tb-075"> <div class="c-lazy-image lrv-u-flex-shrink-0 u-width-125 lrv-u-margin-r-1"> <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/bill-murray-wept-three-times-snl50-surprisingly-emotional-1236329064/" class="c-lazy-image__link lrv-a-unstyle-link" > <div class="lrv-a-crop-3x2" style=""> <img class="c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto" src="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/bill.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1" data-lazy-src="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/bill.jpg?w=250&h=167&crop=1" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 27: Bill Murray visits SiriusXM Studios to discuss the film "Riff Raff" on February 27, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)" data-lazy-srcset="" data-lazy-sizes="" height="" width="" decoding="async"> </div> </a> </div> <div class="o-card__content u-width-180"> <h3 id="title-of-a-story" class="c-title lrv-a-font-primary-xs lrv-u-font-weight-bold lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-display-block u-margin-b-075@tablet u-color-medium-grey:hover a-content-ignore"> <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/bill-murray-wept-three-times-snl50-surprisingly-emotional-1236329064/" class="c-title__link lrv-a-unstyle-link a-content-ignore" > Bill Murray 'Wept Three Times' During 'SNL50': 'It Was Surprisingly Emotional' and 'I Couldn't Stop' </a> </h3> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> <br> And yet, he acknowledged there have been conversations between the media companies and the NCAA about whether such moves would be in the best interests of the fans, the sport and the games. CBS and TNT, TBS and TruTV have shared custody of the <a href="https://variety.com/t/ncaa-march-madness/" id="auto-tag_ncaa-march-madness" data-tag="ncaa-march-madness" >NCAA March Madness</a> tournament since 2011. The companies will <a href="https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/ncaa-march-madness-cbs-turner-1201751521/" >continue to share rights to the property through 2032 in a deal valued at $8.8</a> billion that was set in 2016. <div class="admz" id="adm-inline-article-ad-1"> <div class="adma boomerang" data-device="Desktop" data-width="300"> <div style="min-width:50px;min-height:75px;" class="pmc-adm-boomerang-pub-div ad-text" data-priority="10" > <div id="gpt-variety-article-mid-article-uid0" class="adw-300 adh-250" data-is-adhesion-ad=""> <script type="application/javascript">
blogherads.adq.push(function () {
blogherads
.defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-variety-article-mid-article-uid0' )
.setTargeting( 'pos', ["mid-article1","mid-articleX","mid","mid-article"] )
.setTargeting( ‘viewable’, ‘yes’ )
.setSubAdUnitPath(“ros/mid-article”)
.addSize([[300,250],[2,2],[300,251],[2,4],[4,2],[320,480],[620,366]])
.setClsOptimization(“minsize”)
;
});
