• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, March 30, 2006

CBS's sports site, CSTV.com, and Coca-Cola have launched a co-branded microsite that will host live coverage of the festivities and events surrounding this weekend's NCAA Men's Final Four college basketball tournament. The coverage--which will also be streamed at NCAAsports.com and CBSSportsLine.com--will include game analysis, pep rallies, and the "My Coke Fest" music concert featuring Carrie Underwood and John Mellencamp, among other performers.

Much of the content that will be streamed online this weekend--and will be available for on-demand viewing at least through the month of April--will be shown on CSTV's cable network and, in some cases, on CBS. Exactly what footage will be aired on TV is still under consideration, according to a CSTV spokesman.

The microsite also features "Coke fan vignettes," or mini documentaries illustrating fans' experiences during the tournament. Two of the five vignettes will air both on CBS and CSTV over the weekend.

"Working with CSTV, we are able to broaden the reach of our NCAA programming beyond Indianapolis," Beatriz Perez, vice president, media and sports entertainment, Coca-Cola North America, said in a prepared statement.

The co-branded site--www.cstv.com/coca-cola--is carrying banner ad space for CSTV's other prominent ad partners, including McDonald's and the United States Navy. CSTV, however, has agreed not to run ads that compete with Coca-Cola--like other soft drink brands, a CSTV spokesman said.

The two days of live coverage run from Saturday, April 1 to Sunday, April 2.