• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 8, 2005

Later this month, the National Collegiate Athletic Association intends to make available to administrators at its 1,200 member schools a Web-based 25-minute video magazine, NCAA's Kevin Lennon, vice president for membership services, and NEWGame Communications CEO Kathleen Hessert told reporters yesterday. The video magazine, produced by NEWGame, will include information on the association's staff and industry regulations.

Online viewers download the video magazine, called Vmag, straight to their desktops. Both broadband and dial-up users can download the magazine because it installs itself piecemeal--over hours, days, or as long as it takes--using whatever bandwidth is available. The installation process, which Hessert dubs "painless background delivery," doesn't interfere with whatever else users are doing online.

Starting last year, the NCAA reached out to administrators in the 300 Division I schools, sending them e-mails containing links to download the Vmag and newsletters with information about the video magazine. Approximately 60 percent of the recipients downloaded the last Vmag, which was sent in mid-January. On average, they watched it twice, Hessert said.

The NCAA intends to formally announce on Thursday the expansion of its Vmag program from 300 Division I schools to all 1,200 schools.