A high-profile opportunity for Microsoft’s Silverlight —while Windows Media Player will provide the basic player for the 2009 NCAA March Madness on Demand on CBSSports.com, Silverlight will power a “high-definition quality” feed. (The standard offers about 550 kb/s while Silverlight should be up to 1.5 mb/s.) Both will be ad-supported and provided at no charge to viewers; CBSSports.com will repeat last year’s full 63-game slate. But is it a straight win? 

The Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) video player is used for the CBS College Sports Network subscription package but the network has used it only once that I know for a no-charge game—when Microsoft sponsored a live webcast of the 109th Army-Navy football game last fall. Microsoft is an MMOD sponsor this year and while CBS (NYSE: CBS) isn’t saying so explicitly, this is a similar situation. CBSSports.com SVP Jason Kint told the Sports Business Journal, which first reported the partnership, that Microsoft was making a significant ad spend but won’t get branding on the player.

More after the jump.