Update: Just got off the phone with Neil Ashe, president of CBS Interactive, and Jason Kint, SVP/GM, CBSSports.com.  Kint wasn’t surprised by the increase in viewers of the NCAA basketball final. “Any time you have a close game like that that draws an online number up. Having Duke in it drives up the numbers even more.” That would be the same Duke that is most loved—and the most hated team—by CBCSports.com users.

Making money: They’ll talk uniques and hours but not the other numbers, as in how much CBSSports,com brings in from March Madness or how the online and mobile revenue breaks out. Ashe: “We don’t do a lot of specific revenue callout, so we’ll have to be vague.” How vague? “Everyone’s pleased with the consumption as well as the monetization.” The bulk of the revenue comes from advertising and CBS hasn’t always been that vague about the numbers. CBSSports.com brought in $10 million in advertising in 2007, $23 million in 2008 (jumping 130 percent after all games were added), $32 million in 2009 and CBS CEO Leslie Moonves is already on the record expecting 20 percent growth this year. That would bring the ad-only total for 2010 to about $38.4 million if the numbers stay on target.

It helps, says Kint, that MMOD’s commercial time mirrors the network, with the same schedule and frequency. “We’re able to charge comparable if not higher raters for the same frequency of commercials.”

Subscription mobile: CBS tried the subscription MMOD business model for several years, switching to ad supported in 2006 and eventually opening all of the games without local blackouts. Then it started to add subscription revenue back into the mix. Last year, CBSSports.com introduced a paid wi-fi-only iPhone app for $4.99; this year, it added 3G access and hiked the price to $9.99. The free and paid versions led the App Store at the beginning of the tourney but CBS isn’t releasing the number of downloads for either. When I asked Ashe how much MMOD revenue mobile brought in, he responded in the kind of language that usually means not a lot: “Mobile’s still a developing piece of the puzzle that will continue to grow.” I wouldn’t be surprised to see another price hike for the premium app next year but it’s not infinitely elastic and I don’t expect them to go so high it becomes exclusive. (I used the app via a review code.) CBS, the NCAA and its advertisers are better served by building a broader mobile audience. Live game video also was available on mobile through FLO TV. Ashe describes the strategy for MMOD—and CBS Interactive—as “best screen available, best business model available.”

Where will tablets fit in? Ashe: ‘I think the tablet phenomenon is about the intersection point between the browser experience and the app experience on the same device.” How will people use it? What should CBS and others design to? “We don’t know. I don’t think anybody knows. I’m suspicious of anybody who thinks they know. It’s a story of months and years.” Most of it will depend on how the consumer winds up using the iPad and other tablets.

What if?: The biggest “what if” CBSSports.com faces right now is what if the NCAA decides to opt out of its deal with the network. That would take away a marquee event, creating a gap that isn’t easily filled. Are they preparing for that possibility? No comment.

One more thing: I meant to go into this a little more above. When I mentioned how small the growth was in uniques for 2010 over 2009, Ashe and Kint quickly pointed out it was still double digits and they expect to be able to do that again next year. The numbers aren’t nearly as spectacular as the triple-digit and high double-digit increases as MMOD move away from online subs and expanded programming. Are they concerned about hitting the limits of fans fascinated enough to log in online? Not with 110 million viewers tuning into the tournament, said Kint.