K-State Digital Leaving CBS, Moving to SportsLab

Kansas State dropped a bombshell today, announcing that KStateHD.tv -- the most-watched digital content channel in Division I -- will be changing providers over the summer, and for current subscribers this is critically important information.

KStateHD.tv has been operated in conjunction with CBS Interactive's College Sports Live platform since its inception, but now K-State will be partnering with SportsLabs to completely revamp the product. The key improvement here will be the mobile experience, as SportsLabs will provide responsive content. That's something the CBS platform was unable to do well.

There's a very serious catch here for subscribers, however. Your current subscriptions are actually through CBS Interactive, and will therefore need to be cancelled, and you'll have to do that yourself. After July 1, when SportsLabs will take over the operation, users can then resubscribe. This is vitally important for monthly subscribers, although it's also important for annuals; failure to cancel will result in continued billing by CBS. Current annual subscribers will receive an e-mail from K-State detailing how they'll be affected by the changeover.

It's not the most ideal situation for subscribers, but if this change creates a more robust and compelling mobile experience for everyone then it's probably worth the hassle. We'll just have to see how stable and accessible the SportsLab offering is.