ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 14, 2011 – Domino’s Pizza, the recognized world leader in pizza delivery and Official Pizza of NCAA March Madness, will give fans a chance to follow the advancements, the upsets, the final fourand an eventual champion – pizza champion, that is. Domino’s celebrates today’s National Bracket Day by launching its Domino’s Pizza Bracket on Facebook, as well as a special Domino’s NCAA March Madness Pizza Tracker.
Popular Domino’s pizza combinations are the stars of this version of “The Big Dance” – and the bracket-style vote is sure to reveal some tasty competition and surprises. Just the same as in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, you never know who will easily advance, or who is poised to pull off a stunning upset over a more popular, higher-seeded choice.
“Domino’s is very excited for our first taste of NCAA March Madness as the Official Pizza of the NCAA,” said Chris Brandon, Domino’s Pizza spokesperson. “National Bracket Day wouldn’t be complete without pizza, so we have come up with a tournament of our own to be decided by basketball and pizza fans alike.”
The Domino’s Pizza Bracket features each pizza “competitor” seeded based on popularity, and placed in the region appropriate to its toppings. As fans vote, certain pizzas will advance, eventually leading to the crowning of the champion pizza, coinciding with the week of the NCAA Men’s Final Four. The bracket is available for viewing today, and voting will begin on Thursday.
“We are confident that each pizza is ready for the challenge, will play hard and show good sportsmanship,” Brandon said. “But seriously, this is a very cool way to interact with our fans, and we can’t wait to follow the action and see the results.”
In addition, Domino’s fan-favorite Pizza Tracker will also receive a March Madness makeover, including hoops-themed visuals and sound effects that can all be experienced by ordering online at www.dominos.com.
The 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tips off in primetime with the NCAA FIRST FOUR on truTV Tuesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 16 and concludes for the 30th consecutive year on CBS with the FINAL FOUR and national championship game on Saturday, April 2 and Monday, April 4, respectively. For the first time in the tournament’s 73-year history, all of the games will be available live in their entirety across four national television networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.
About Domino’s Pizza
Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery. Domino’s is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “DPZ.” As of the fourth quarter of 2010, through its primarily locally-owned and operated franchised system, Domino’s operated a network of 9,351 franchised and Company-owned stores in the United States and over 65 international markets. Domino’s Pizza had global retail sales of over $6.2 billion in 2010, comprised of over $3.3 billion domestically and over $2.9 billion internationally.
In June 2010, Pizza Today named Domino’s its “Chain of the Year” – making the company a two-time winner of the honor. In late 2009, Domino’s debuted its ‘Inspired New Pizza’ – a permanent change to its hand-tossed product, reinvented from the crust up. Helped by the launch of its Domino’s Smart Slice school lunch pizza in late 2010, Domino’s Pizza is collaborating with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to serve healthier school foods and beverages in the United States. In 2011, Domino’s was ranked #1 in Forbes Magazine’s “Top 20 Franchises for the Money” list.
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Domino’s partnership with NCAA Corporate Champion Coca-Cola grants the company rights to numerous NCAA properties and trademarks, including March Madness
About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit NCAA.org and NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Enterprise, The Hartford, Infiniti, LG, Lowe’s, Planters, Reese’s, Unilever and UPS.
NCAA, Final Four, First Four, The Big Dance and March Madness are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. National Bracket Day is a trademark of Turner Broadcasting Inc.
About CBS Sports
CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL’s American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters® and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs the CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces Inside the NFL for Showtime; and partners with CBS Sports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.
About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports’ television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company’s digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
