• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

CBS Responds to Website Crash Ahead of March Madness

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 16, 2017, 4:51 PM ET

Talk about bad timing.

The website for CBS Sports—where college basketball fans go to fill out their March Madness brackets and live-stream the tournament games—briefly crashed on Thursday morning just before the first game of the day was set to begin. The CBSSports.com outage occurred at roughly 11 a.m. ET, which was about an hour before tip-off for the Princeton-Notre Dame matchup.

The timing of the outage was especially poor considering that many fans were trying to fill out their tournament brackets ahead of the noon deadline. (The Princeton-Notre Dame game, the latter of which won by two points, marked the official start of the NCAA men’s tournament after a handful of play-in games took place earlier in the week.)

“During the hour before the first tip, service was down due to overwhelming demand,” a CBS Sports Digital spokesperson said in a statement issued around 1 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon. “We certainly regret the outage but are pleased to say that service has since been restored.”

Not surprisingly, a number of miffed basketball fans took to Twitter (TWTR) to voice their displeasure after the website crashed.

https://twitter.com/gblundquist/status/842403048630702080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/jsnev11/status/842392816676438017

While several websites allow fans to fill out their tournament picks in online March Madness brackets, CBS Sports’ website is a popular destination due to the fact that CBS (CBS) is one of the tournament’s primary broadcasters (along with Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting (TWX)). Fans can also watch any CBS broadcasts of March Madness games live online via CBSSports.com.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune‘s technology newsletter.

The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans will fill out more than 70 million March Madness brackets this year, while wagering a total of $9.2 billion on the outcome of the tournament.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Brian Niccol speaks and gestures in front of a blue and green background.
C-SuiteStarbucks
Starbucks CEO admits the chain ‘ran like a manufacturing facility’
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 23, 2026
27 minutes ago
Middle EastRussia
Putin is the real winner in Trump’s Iran war as it puts Russian oil back on the map
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 23, 2026
1 hour ago
CryptoBitcoin
Bitcoin climbs as Trump grants five days for Iran negotiations
By Emily Nicolle, Melos Ambaye and BloombergMarch 23, 2026
2 hours ago
BankingIran
Iran issues its largest-ever currency denomination as accelerating inflation ravages a financial sector deemed a ‘Ponzi scheme’ even before the war
By Jason MaMarch 23, 2026
2 hours ago
Toilet paper on empty supermarket shelves, lockdown panic buying
EconomyIran
The great toilet paper panic is back as Japan starts stockpiling
By Eva RoytburgMarch 23, 2026
3 hours ago
trump
C-SuiteBook Excerpt
I’ve known Trump for 25 Years and advised 5 presidents. Here’s the playbook he’s been running—and why underestimating him is a mistake
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianMarch 23, 2026
3 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.