User generated player updates, mock draft tool highlight changes for 2008 season

 

Early bird discount on award-winning Commissioner product extended until 8/21

 

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL, August 7, 2008 - With training camps in full swing, CBSSports.com is gearing up for another exciting season of fantasy football (fantasy.cbssports.com) with their award-winning Fantasy Football Commissioner product, Premium Games as well as free offerings.

 

New for this football season, CBSSports.com is allowing fantasy football fanatics to write and submit their own player updates for the entire CBSSports.com community to read. Now, in addition to the expert commentary and analysis from the team of CBSSports.com fantasy football writers (see full list below), users can get insights and opinions on all fantasy football players submitted by fellow fantasy addicts across the United States and around the world. The user generated player updates will be posted on each and every player page throughout CBSSports.com and CBSSports.com Fantasy News.

 

"CBSSports.com understands that there are millions of passionate fantasy players, and many of them have unique insight into local teams and players. By giving fantasy players the opportunity to contribute their own analysis to our service we're taking their engagement to an even higher level while providing another point of view for the community," said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports.com.

 

Also new this year, CBSSports.com is offering a mock draft product in conjunction with all their fantasy football leagues, allowing players the best tool available as they prepare for their upcoming drafts. With 15 mock drafts every 15 minutes, including leagues with a variety of roster options, CBSSports.com has a mock draft constantly available for players as they gear up for draft day. CBSSports.com fantasy writers will randomly join mock drafts each day, allowing users to sharpen their drafting skills against the top gurus in the business.

 

Additionally, the Fantasy Football Downloadable Draft Kit is now available for the 2008 season, allowing fantasy football players to get comprehensive draft content from the veteran team of fantasy experts at CBSSports.com. Updated weekly, the Downloadable Draft Kit has everything you need to get ready for your draft this season- player rankings, cheat sheets and draft day strategies along with exclusive podcasts.

 

CBSSports.com has also partnered with Quiznos and Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants, giving fantasy football players special discounts on hosting their draft as well as food for their draft party at thousands of locations across the United States.

 

Regardless of what fantasy football service you use, all fanatics will want to bookmark CBSSports.com Fantasy News (fantasynews.cbssports.com). Launched this past June, CBSSports.com Fantasy News represents the first time a major developer of fantasy sports products has built a site designed solely for news and information and made it available to the public, regardless of what fantasy sports provider they use.

 

For the 2008 football season, CBSSports.com Fantasy News will allow fantasy players from across the industry to consume information and analysis from the entire team of award-winning CBSSports.com fantasy sports writers as well as from CBSSports.com national columnists and senior writers. CBSSports.com Fantasy News will also be the source for player news and updates from college football, supporting the recently launched College Fantasy Football game. CBSSports.com remains the only major fantasy sports service provider with a collegiate fantasy football game and has upgraded their game this season to include the use of individual player names for the first time.

 

CBSSports.com Fantasy Sports Writers

           

Ross Devonport, Jamey Eisenberg, Sergio Gonzalez, Michael Hurcomb, Jeff Lippman, Eric Mack, Peter Madden (Managing Editor), Al Melchior (Contributor), Dave Richard and Scott White

 

The 2008 CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Guide is now available on newsstands and in bookstores across the country. Produced in conjunction with Pro Football Weekly, the guide offers a variety of draft cheat sheets, in-depth player profiles and position rankings that no serious Fantasy Football player should be without before or during the season.  In 2005, the CBSSports.com Fantasy Football magazine won the Fantasy Sports Trade Association award for the Best Fantasy Football Magazine.  The magazine is also available for purchase online by simply visiting fantasy.cbssports.com.

 

 

The 2008 CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Products

 

Anheuser Busch, GMC, Sprint and Snickers are the sponsors of the

2008 CBSSports.com Fantasy Football products.

 

Fantasy Football Commissioner: Sponsored by Anheuser Busch & GMC

 

•·         #1 Most Played: With the most customizable product on the market and one able to handle leagues with up to 20 teams with premium features such as live scoring for no additional cost, fantasy fanatics spent more combined hours playing fantasy football on CBSSports.com in 2007 than on any other site. (Source: Nielsen//Netratings | Fantasy Football, August - December 2007)

 

•·         #1 Product: As of July 2008, the CBSSports.com Commissioner Fantasy Sports League Management product has won every Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) award for best Fantasy Commissioner Product since the association was founded in 1997. The FSTA has been presenting awards in the business of Fantasy Sports since 2000.

 

•·         #1 in Reliability: CBSSports.com leads the 2008 Keynote Service Level Rankings Report over all other major fantasy sports providers.

 

•·         $149.95 per league, with an "early bird" discount of $20 (to $129.95) for leagues that pay before August 22, 2008. With an average league size of 12 to 16 teams, users will pay approximately $10 a piece for the top rated Commissioner League management product available.

 

Free Fantasy Football: One of the most popular Fantasy Football games on the planet is 100% FREE. Free Fantasy Football delivers all the great features that you expect from CBSSports.com Fantasy Sports - live scoring and stats, cutting edge team management tools, player news and expert analysis - with absolutely no upgrade fees or hidden costs. It's a great way for fantasy players new to CBSSports.com to start to get to know the #1 product on the market for free.

 

Sprint Fantasy Pick: Sprint Fantasy Pick provides another exciting fantasy game for fantasy football lovers. Each week users will select three players: one quarterback, one running back, and one wide receiver with the additional challenge being that each player can only be used once over the course of the season. The selected players will earn points for every passing, receiving, or rushing touchdown they score in their game. The exact number of points will depend on the yardage length of the touchdown play. Cash prizes will be awarded to users whose teams accumulate the most points each week and for the entire season.

 

Fantasy Football Widget: Sponsored by Snickers, CBSSports.com has created a fantasy football widget that can be distributed to their favorite social networks and will allow users to get updated player news and league scores.

 

Office Pool Manager: It's easy and efficient to run your office pool online when you use Office Pool Manager from CBSSports.com. Make picks the traditional way or run a survivor pool where it's one wrong pick and you're out. Office Pool manager is easy to use, 100% free and comes complete with LIVE scoring and customizable scoring systems.

 

CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Premium Games: Face off against dedicated competition in a twelve-team league for the chance to win cold, hard cash. With five levels of play and pay, there is a CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Premium Game for every player.

 

•·         Fantasy Football Double Diamond: For individuals wanting to compete at the highest levels of Fantasy Football. With a price of $499.95 per team, each league champion will win a $3,500 league prize.

 

•·         Fantasy Football Diamond: Think you are a Fantasy Football All-Star? Fantasy Football Diamond gives fans the chance to prove it. With a price of $249.95 per team, each league champion will win a $1,600 league prize.

 

•·         Fantasy Football Platinum: Ready to wade into a more experienced pool of Fantasy Football players? Fantasy Football Platinum will give you that opportunity. With a price of $99.95 per team, each league champion will win a $600 league prize.

 

•·         Fantasy Football Gold: Time to get serious about Fantasy Football? We certainly understand. With a price of $39.95 per team, each league champion will win a $200 league prize.

 

CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Gold is open to: (a) Registered Users; (b) legal residents of one (1) of the fifty (50) United States, Washington DC, or Canada (excluding Quebec) (for purposes of clarity, Puerto Rico is expressly excluded); and (c) at least eighteen (18) years of age or the age of majority in their state of residence at the date of registration in the Contest. PLEASE NOTE: Notwithstanding the foregoing: (i) eligible legal residents of Canada (excluding Quebec), Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, and Vermont may play Fantasy Football Gold, but are not eligible to win any prizes; and (ii) in all events you must be eighteen (18) years of age or older (if the age of majority in a jurisdiction is over 18, you must be of the age of majority within your jurisdiction) in order to win any prizes.

 

CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Platinum, Diamond and Double Diamond are open to: (a) Registered Users; (b) legal residents of one (1) of the fifty (50) United States (excluding residents of Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, and Vermont) (for purposes of clarity, Puerto Rico is expressly excluded) and Washington D.C.; and (c) at least eighteen (18) years of age or the age of majority in their state of residence at the date of registration in the Contest.                                                   

About CBSSports.com

 

CBSSports.com is at the leading edge of media companies providing Internet sports content, Fantasy sports and e-commerce. CBSSports.com is a member of the CBS family and a part of CBS Interactive. Formerly known as CBSSports.com.com, in August of 2007 the company changed its name to CBSSports.com. The change marked the evolution of the company into a multi-platform brand offering premier broadcast, online and mobile sports content. The change to CBSSports.com gives advertisers the ability to associate with the CBS Sports brand and reach sports fans no matter where they are, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

For more information about CBSSports.com and for the latest sports news, scores and expert analysis, please visit cbssports.com.

 

More information about CBS and its businesses is available at http://www.cbscorporation.com/.