PR N°5 - FIBA and ESPN reach three-year multimedia pact (2009-2011)

Most comprehensive U.S. distribution ever for the FIBA World Championship. Up to 268 games available live across ESPN platforms.

GENEVA (FIBA/ESPN) - The International Basketball Federation and ESPN have reached a comprehensive three-year agreement (2009-2011) making ESPN the exclusive English-language distributor of FIBA live games in the United States.

The agreement includes the following premier FIBA men's tournaments, highlighted by extensive coverage of the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

2009 FIBA Americas Championship (19th to 30th August 2009, in Mexico)

2009 FIBA EuroBasket Championship (7th to 20th September 2009, in Poland)

2010 FIBA World Championship (28th August to 12th September 2010, in Turkey)

2011 FIBA Americas Championship (July-August 2011, in location to be determined)

2011 FIBA EuroBasket Championship (August-September 2011, in Lithuania)

ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise all United States National Team games, plus additional championship round coverage (outlined below) for each event. The deal will collectively include up to 268 games (many exclusively) available live on ESPN360.com, ESPN's broadband sports network and provide broad multimedia rights to FIBA content across ESPN platforms.

FIBA Secretary General and IOC member Patrick Baumann said: "We are very pleased to partner with ESPN, which is regarded as the leading sports broadcaster in the USA. The agreement not only means that the FIBA World and Continental Championships will be extensively covered across the ESPN television, internet and mobile platforms, but also that both FIBA and ESPN will be working closely together to further promote international basketball within the USA."

"We're thrilled to partner with FIBA to add this collection of marquee international events to our basketball portfolio," said John Skipper, ESPN's executive vice president, content. "This deal fuels ESPN360.com with exclusive content, adding to its robust premier basketball offerings and provides compelling world championship programming for ESPN and ESPN2 and a variety of other ESPN platforms. We believe this deal will continue to enhance the tremendous growth of international basketball in the U.S."

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com will provide the following coverage for each championship:

2009 and 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Men:

All 40 games per event live on ESPN360.com

All U.S. National Team games, plus both semi-finals, bronze and gold medal games on ESPN or ESPN2

2009 and 2011 FIBA EuroBasket for Men:

Up to 54 games per event live on ESPN360.com

Gold medal game on ESPN or ESPN2

2010 FIBA World Championship for Men:

Up to 80 games live on ESPN360.com

All U.S. National Team games, plus both semi-finals, bronze and gold medal games on ESPN or ESPN2

About FIBA

FIBA (www.fiba.basketball), the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 213 National Federations of basketball throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Its main upcoming events are the 2009 FIBA Zone Continental Championships that qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championships for Men and Women, to take place in Turkey and in the Czech Republic respectively.

About ESPN, Inc.

ESPN, Inc. is the world's leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 50 multimedia sports assets. The company is comprised of six domestic television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS and ESPNU HD simulcast services, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (45 networks, syndication, radio, web sites), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile Properties, ESPN on Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.A., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

About ESPN360.com

ESPN360.com is ESPN's broadband sports network that gives fans a 24/7 online destination delivering more than 3,000 live, global sports events annually. It is available at no cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. ESPN360.com is currently available in nearly 25 million homes via approximately 45 Internet service providers (ISPs) nationwide, up 40 percent in the past 12 months and more than triple its distribution just two years ago. Among the affiliated ISPs are AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and many more. In addition, ESPN360.com is also available at no cost to approximately 18 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks (those with ".edu" and ".mil" domains).

For more information, please contact:

Marcos Beltrá, FIBA: +41-22-545 00 00, beltra@fiba.com

Nate Smeltz, ESPN:+ 1-860-766 45 50, nate.smeltz@espn.com

Mark Mandel, ESPN, + 1-212-456 48 67, mark.d.mandel@espn.com