CBS Sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Reach 14-Year Agreement for Division I Men`s Basketball Championship

Agreement Includes Television, Internet, Wireless and Marketing Rights Through
2024
INDIANAPOLIS--(Business Wire)--
The NCAA today announced a new 14-year television, internet and wireless rights
agreement with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., to present the
Division I Men`s Basketball Championship beginning in 2011 through 2024 for more
than $10.8 billion. As part of the agreement, all games will be shown live
across four national networks beginning in 2011 - a first for the 73-year old
championship.

Additionally, CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting have been licensed and will
collaborate on the NCAA`s corporate marketing program.

Late Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Men`s Basketball Committee unanimously
passed a recommendation to the Division I Board of Directors to increase
tournament field size to 68 teams beginning with the 2011 Championship. The
recommendation will be reviewed by the Division I Board of Directors at its
April 29 meeting.

The new agreement sustains the long-term financial stability of the Association.
As with the current contract, approximately 96 percent of the revenue generated
from this new agreement will be used to benefit student-athletes through either
programs, services or direct distribution to member conferences and schools.
Further, the agreement ensures student-athletes across all three NCAA divisions
will continue to be supported in a broad range of championship opportunities,
access to funds for personal and educational needs, and through scholarships in
Divisions I and II.

Beginning with the 2011 championship, opening- , first- and second-round games
will be shown nationally on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. CBS and Turner will split
coverage of the regional semi-final games. CBS will provide coverage of the
regional finals, as well as the Final Four including the National Championship
Game through 2015. Beginning in 2016, coverage of the regional finals will be
split by CBS and Turner with the Final Four and the National Championship game
alternating every year between the CBS Television Network and Turner`s TBS.

CBS Sports has broadcast the NCAA Division I Men`s Basketball Championship since
1982. This year`s broadcast of the Championship game earned an average national
household rating/share of 14.2/23, up 31% from a 10.8/18 last year, the highest
rating in five years.

Under the new rights agreement, NCAA March Madness on Demand, the Emmy
Award-winning video player that provides live streaming video of the NCAA
Division I Men`s Basketball Championship, will continue to be launched from
NCAA.com and CBSSports.com. Turner has also secured the rights for any Time
Warner digital property. The player will be operated and developed by Turner and
have enhanced digital rights allowing the NCAA to deliver content for multiple
Turner and Time Warner platforms.

"This is an important day for intercollegiate athletics and the 400,000
student-athletes who compete in NCAA sports," said NCAA Interim President Jim
Isch. "This agreement will provide on average more than $740 million annually to
our conferences and member schools to help student-athletes in 23 sports learn
and compete."

"We`re excited this agreement continues our long-standing relationship with CBS,
a partner company that has captured the unique spirit of the collegiate model of
athletics, and brings a new partner in Turner Broadcasting to the Championship
and NCAA basketball," added Isch.

"This agreement with our colleagues at Turner and the NCAA secures CBS`s
standing as a year-round leader in sports television well into the next decade,"
said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

"In this agreement, we have created a new strategic partnership that not only
makes this prestigious property an ongoing core asset in our stable of major
television events, but a profitable one as well. We look forward to working with
our friends at Turner as together we combine our industry-leading media assets
to maximize the value of this great NCAA Championship."

"This is a landmark deal for Turner Broadcasting and we`re extremely pleased to
begin a long-term relationship with the NCAA and our partners at CBS and to have
a commitment that extends well into the next decade," said David Levy, president
of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. "The NCAA
Men`s Basketball Tournament has a rich tradition and is one of the most talked
about sporting events every year highlighted by the Final Four and the National
Championship Game.

"We are well-positioned to monetize our investment in NCAA programming across
three nationally distributed networks. With the combined linear and digital
assets of these two large media companies we'll be able to maximize the exposure
of the Tournament, as well as provide incomparable access for viewers."

Moving forward under the new contract, a committee headed by Harvey Perlman,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln chancellor, will study and recommend prospective
revenue distribution formulas to the Division I Board of Directors. Under the
current contract, 96 percent of all NCAA revenue is returned to membership
either in direct payments or in programs and services. The committee will follow
principles of the current formula that ensure access to funds by
student-athletes for educational, personal and emergency needs; that favor a
broad-based approach to sports sponsorship; that continue to encourage more
grants-in-aid rather than less; and that promote enhanced academic support of
student-athletes.

Additionally, given the NCAA emphasis on academic reform, the committee will
examine the need to strike a balance between Division I men`s basketball
championship performance and academic achievement through either the NCAA`s
Academic Progress Rate or Graduation Success Rate metrics or both.

ESPN, the long-standing home for NCAA Championships such as the Division I
Women`s Basketball Championship, College World Series, Frozen Four and others,
will continue to broadcast a full complement of events over the coming years as
well.

"The economic challenges of the day are being felt on campuses across the
country. The amount of revenue from this agreement isn`t the focus of this
moment, rather it is the long-term security it provides as well as what is done
with the money. We put our money where our mission is…supporting
student-athletes so they can be successful in the classroom and in life," said
Isch.

About the NCAA

The NCAA® is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities
committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than
400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities.
Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA Championships in
Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit NCAA.org and NCAA.com for more details
about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that
help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the
following elite companies as official Corporate Champions - AT&T, Capital One
and Coca-Cola - and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners
- Enterprise, The Hartford, Hershey`s, LG, Lowe`s, Planters, State Farm and UPS.

About CBS Sports

CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of
events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL`s American Football
Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I
Men`s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters and PGA Championship;
college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships;
CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In
addition, the division directs the CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour
national cable network; produces Inside the NFL for Showtime; and partners with
CBS Sports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet
destinations.

About Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.,

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs
branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on
television and other platforms for consumers around the world. Turner Sports, a
division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., presents some of the best and most
popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports
programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT,Turner Sports` television line-up
includes coverage of NASCAR, the NBA, MLB and professional golf. The division`s
digital portfolio consists of NASCAR.COM, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com. In addition,
Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA
TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, NBADLeague.com and WNBA.com.

NCAA
Bob Williams, 317-917-6117
Managing Director of Public and Media Relations
or
CBS Sports
LeslieAnne Wade, 212-975-5171
Senior Vice President, Communications
lwade@cbs.com
or
Turner Broadcasting
Sal Petruzzi, 212-275-6897
Senior Vice President
Public Relations

Copyright Business Wire 2010