Turner Sports announced today that it has extended its current partnerships with AutoTrader.com, Hyundai, Southwest Airlines and T-Mobile as major sponsors of its award-winning NBA on TNT studio coverage for the 2008-09 NBA season.  Additionally, each of the four partners will also sponsor the new NBA TV studio shows and will be featured on NBA.com.  The 2008-09 NBA season marks Turner’s 25th anniversary of NBA coverage and the inaugural year of Turner’s partnership with the NBA to operate the NBA Digital portfolio, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, WNBA.com and NBADLeague.com.

“The prime value of the NBA brand is reflected in the overwhelming response by Autotrader.com, Hyundai, Southwest Airlines and T-Mobile returning to TNT this season but also extending their partnerships to NBA TV and NBA.com,” saidJon Diament, executive vice president of Turner Sports ad sales and marketing.  “Turner continues to create unique and meaningful multi-platform opportunities for our advertising partners to reach fans wherever they consume the NBA.  The NBA portfolio is an extremely valuable marketing vehicle for power brands to target fans who are captivated by the league and its players.  This is part of our continuing strategy to integrate and align advertisers into our coverage of the league and into a sport that is so passionately followed.”

For the third consecutive year, AutoTrader.com will serve as the presenting sponsor of TNT’s studio pregame coverage (TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com) featuring Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, two-time NBA champion Kenny Smith and Emmy award-winning host Ernie Johnson.  T-Mobile has returned as the presenting sponsor of the halftime show (T-Mobile Halftime Report) and Southwest Airlines will continue to sponsor game break segments (Southwest Airlines Game Break).  Hyundai will once again sponsor the Inside the NBA postgame show for the 10th consecutive year (Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai).

The new agreements will commence on TNT on Opening Night, Tues., Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. ET with the NBA Tip-Off  presented by Autotrader.com preview show followed by a doubleheader at 8 p.m. ET featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers @ LA Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET.  The new NBA TV elements will begin with the network’s new studio show debuting on Tues., Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. ET. 

Source: TNT

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.

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