• March 8, 2010

Gearing up for the big dance, CBS has launched a new version of its CBS Sports: NCAA March Madness on Demand application for the iPhone that adds 3G support. The app, which debuted last year in the App Store and offers live streaming video and Westwood One radio coverage of the men's college basketball tournament, was only available in 2009 via Wi-Fi.

Besides 3G, iPhone owners with the CBS app will even be able to catch the games on AT&T's slower Edge network. But the added functionality comes at a cost -- the March Madness app has been doubling in price from $4.99 to $9.99. MLB Advanced Media, which increased the cost of its At Bat 2010 iPhone app from $10 to $15 this year, also helped develop the CBS app.

However, there's also a free version providing news and video highlights. Premium app users also get the added benefit of scores and other alerts, like when a game is getting close or there's an upset. Regardless of the higher price, you can be sure CBS will still sell lots of apps, since the NCAA tournament is one of the most avidly followed sports events of the year thanks to office betting pools.

The network is also offering live video of the tournament kicking off March 16 through the CBS Mobile Channel on the FLO TV service available from AT&T. --Mark Walsh