Turner, NBA Expand Partnership

ATLANTA/NEW YORK, January 17: Turner Broadcasting System and
the National Basketball Association have inked a deal to jointly manage the
sports league’s digital businesses—including NBA TV—expanding upon
their long-running broadcast partnership.

The companies will jointly manage a portfolio of the NBA’s
digital businesses that TBS will operate out of its Atlanta production
facility. The new domestic digital rights relationship will be fully effective
for the 2008-09 NBA season and run through the 2015-16 season. David Levy, the
president of Turner Broadcasting Sales and president of Turner Sports, and Adam
Silver, the NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO, will jointly manage the venture
and will appoint a general manager responsible for the oversight of the NBA
digital businesses.

With the deal, TBS, Inc. will assume responsibility for
programming, marketing and technical operations of NBA TV, the league’s 24-hour
digital television network. TBS, Inc. will host and operate the NBA.com
Network, which includes NBA.com, WNBA.com and NBADLeague.com, and will operate
NBA League Pass, the league’s out-of-market game package, and the NBA’s
broadband and wireless businesses.

In addition, Turner and the NBA will jointly sell
advertising for all of the digital assets. Furthermore, on-air talent from the
NBA on TNT and TNT’s Inside the NBA will
appear on NBA TV. NBA Entertainment, the league’s production and programming
arm, will continue to provide content for all of the NBA’s digital businesses.

“This expansion of the longstanding programming relationship
between our company and the NBA represents a new strategic business model, and
an innovative template for growth,” said Levy. “Turner Broadcasting’s operation
of NBA Digital expands the growing Turner digital portfolio and provides the
NBA industry-leading digital resources and expertise with which to grow its
brand. We’re pleased to deepen our professional relationship with the league,
and to pioneer a new success model for the digital age that will create an even
richer experience for NBA fans.”

“We think the best way to optimize our suite of digital and
television assets in the U.S. is with a media company that can provide us with
the scale, expertise and resources to enhance and grow these properties,” added
Silver. “Our longtime media partner Turner is an innovative industry leader and
our expanded relationship will create opportunities to better serve our fans.”

The current TNT-NBA national television agreement extends
their partnership through 2016. TNT airs 52 regular-season games exclusively on
Thursday nights in prime time; airs more than 40 Playoff games; and airs the
annual All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday events exclusively. In addition, TNT
NBA Overtime, a broadband feature on NBA.com, streams TNT-televised games,
highlights and related programming live, delayed and on-demand.

—By Mansha Daswani