SIRIUS Satellite Radio and the NBA Announce Multi-Year Broadcast and Marketing Agreement
- SIRIUS Becomes the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NBA - - SIRIUS Delivers More Than 1000 Live Games Per Season - - SIRIUS Launches NBA Radio on SIRIUS, the First 24/7 Year-Round NBA Radio Channel -

12-13-2005

NEW YORK, Dec 13, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- The National Basketball Association and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) announced today a multi-year agreement which expands upon their current broadcast arrangement and makes SIRIUS an official NBA marketing partner.

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The partnership makes SIRIUS the broadcaster of more live NBA games than any other radio outlet. As part of their original agreement, in February 2003, the NBA became the first major professional sports league to provide live games on SIRIUS.

SIRIUS and the NBA have launched NBA Radio on SIRIUS, the first 24/7, year-round radio channel devoted to the NBA. Airing on SIRIUS' channel 127, NBA Radio on SIRIUS features content from NBA TV -- including news, highlights and features on the league, its teams and players -- and will showcase specialized programming that will be heard exclusively on SIRIUS.

SIRIUS is the exclusive satellite radio provider of an extensive programming package that features more than 1,000 regular season games, plus every game of the NBA Playoffs and The Finals. SIRIUS has the exclusive national satellite radio rights to NBA team radio broadcasts and will air regular season games from every NBA team. Throughout the regular season, SIRIUS will, in most cases, air the home team's local radio broadcast. During the NBA Playoffs and The Finals, SIRIUS will offer the home team, visiting team and national radio broadcasts.

"SIRIUS is the content leader in satellite radio and this deal deepens our partnership by delivering more NBA games and programming to our fans and provides new marketing opportunities for SIRIUS to promote its product and brand," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "Expanding our partnership with SIRIUS reinforces our belief in their continued growth and our commitment to embrace all forms of new media."

"The NBA is one of the most powerful names in sports and SIRIUS is excited to partner with this first-class organization," said Mel Karmazin, CEO, SIRIUS Satellite Radio. "The NBA draws an ever-larger audience of passionate fans from all across America and those fans will have access to more NBA basketball on SIRIUS than anywhere else on radio. This agreement is a significant enhancement to our superior sports lineup and underscores our ongoing commitment to bring the best sports programming to SIRIUS subscribers."

As the Official Satellite Radio Marketing Partner of the NBA, SIRIUS will conduct NBA-themed advertising and promotions with the NBA logo, NBA Radio on SIRIUS logo and 30 team logos through NBA media assets and at the NBA Store.

On NBA.com, the league's official Web site that generates more than 2.75 million visitors per day, SIRIUS will feature advertising, logo placement and a reciprocal link to SIRIUS.com. SIRIUS' NBA programming schedule and channel listings will be available on NBA.com.

SIRIUS will have a presence in the world's only NBA Store, located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, which receives approximately one million visitors per year. The NBA Store will feature a fully interactive SIRIUS display for the duration of each NBA season with a listening station that will allow customers to sample SIRIUS radios and programming. For select weeks, SIRIUS signage and products will be displayed in store windows and visitors to the NBA Store will receive a SIRIUS brochure/insert with every purchase.

SIRIUS ads will also appear on NBA TV and in other NBA media outlets. In addition, NBA promotions will run within SIRIUS and NBA media inventory.

SIRIUS also currently broadcasts exclusive NBA-themed talk shows on channel 123. Full Court Press, hosted by Kenny Smith and Ian Eagle, airs weekdays from 12-3 p.m. ET, and The Phil Jackson Show, featuring the renowned head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, airs Mondays from 6-7 p.m. ET.

SIRIUS offers all NBA programming at no additional cost to its subscribers. For a schedule of upcoming NBA games on SIRIUS visit http://www.sirius.com/nba or NBA.com.