PUEBLO, Colo. (September 15, 2009) - The PBR and CBS are teaming up to broadcast the championship round of the Godaddy.com Invitational presented by Cooper Tires.
After what has been a frustrating couple of weeks for PBR fans who subscribe to DirecTV, the upcoming Portland, Ore., event will serve as a reprieve. In the midst of contract dispute, DirecTV pulled Versus from its programming at the beginning of September, leaving 18 million homes without access to the weekly PBR broadcast.
A recent Scarborough Research study showed that 8 million of the 18 million homes without Versus are regularly viewing PBR fans.
“CBS will make the PBR available to every household in the nation,” said PBR Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard. “We’re especially pleased to be able to reconnect with fans who’ve been missing out.”
The Godaddy.com Invitational is the 29th stop on the Built Ford Tough Series.
With only two more events on the “Road to Vegas” left after Portland, the championship round will go a long way in setting up the world standings for the 2009 PBR World Finals in what has been one of the closest races for a world title in the 16-year history of the PBR.
The two-day event will take place Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3 at the Rose Garden Arena. Versus will broadcast Round 1 on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by Round 2 beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Round 2 will conclude with the bull draft for the 15 riders who qualify for the final round.
CBS’ one-hour broadcast of the short go will then air on Sunday, Oct. 4, immediately following coverage of the NFL.
“We hope that fans will call their friends and families to get the word out,” said Bernard. “This is a chance for the cowboy nation to show the broadcasting world just how passionate they are about this sport.”
