TNT to Present Exclusive Coverage of 2012 NBA ALL-STAR Weekend, Beg. 2/23

TNT will once again air exclusive live coverage of the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend from Orlando, Feb. 23-26. The network's more than 15 hours of live coverage tips off on Thursday, Feb. 23, with doubleheader action beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) with NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com airing live from Orlando. On Friday, Feb. 24, TNT will air the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at 9 p.m. (ET). The network will air NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. (ET). The weekend culminates on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. (ET) with the network's exclusive live coverage of NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com followed by NBA All-Star 2012 presented by Kia Motors from the Amway Center. A full schedule of TNT's coverage is attached.

This will be Turner Sports' 27th year of NBA All-Star coverage, and the 10th consecutive year the NBA All-Star Game is televised in prime time on TNT. Heading into one of Turner Sports' signature events, TNT is enjoying one of its most-watched NBA seasons to date. Through 19 games, the NBA on TNT is averaging a 1.8 U.S. rating (+20%, 1.5 U.S. rating); 2,807,000 total viewers (+24%, 2,256,000 total viewers); and 2,105,000 households (+24%, 1,697,000 households) over last year's corresponding coverage.

"NBA All-Star Weekend proves to be one of the most exciting events on the calendar and this year is shaping up to be no different," said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. "With a number of marquee events and storylines highlighting our four days of coverage, fans will be able to experience all of the sites and sounds of All-Star Weekend through our television and digital platforms."

TNT's Inside the NBA studio team will be live at NBA All-Star 2012 throughout the weekend and include Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O'Neal (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst).

Sunday, February 26

· NBA All-Star 2012 presented by Kia Motors grabs the spotlight live on TNT on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. (ET). TNT's Marv Albert will be courtside to call the action, along with analysts Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller with David Aldridge and Craig Sager reporting from the sidelines.

· The East squad will be led by Orlando's hometown hero Dwight Howard, the Miami Heat's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, 2010-11 MVP Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks.

· The West is led by the Lakers Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, the Clippers dynamic duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, as well as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant.

Saturday, February 25

· NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm returns to TNT on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. (ET).

· The night consists of the Sprite Slam Dunk, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and Haier Shooting Stars.

· Kenny Smith will serve as the "Dunk MC" and join the announce team of Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller and Mike Fratello (analysts) and Cheryl Miller (reporting) during the competition. Also calling the night's action will be NBA TV analysts Dennis Scott and Steve Smith.

Friday, February 24

· TNT will have exclusive live coverage of the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 24, at 9 p.m. (ET). Barkley and O'Neal will serve as team general managers. Each squad consists of rookie and sophomore players who will be selected by Barkley and O'Neal in a special on-air draft on Feb. 16 on TNT.

· Kenny Smith will serve as the honorary commissioner of the game, while Kerr and Fratello serve as team coaches.

· Barkley and O'Neal, as well as players and coaches, will be mic'd during play to provide fans with insight, while Harlan, Smith and Sager will call the action from the broadcast booth and benches.

Thursday, February 23

· TNT will tip off its All-Star coverage on Thursday, Feb. 23, with doubleheader action beginning at 7 p.m. (ET). NBA Tip-Off presented by AutoTrader.com with Johnson, Barkley, O'Neal and Kenny Smith will air live from Orlando.

· The first game of the exclusive doubleheader will feature the New York Knicks visiting the Miami Heat (7 p.m. ET); followed by the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET).

· The Emmy(R) Award-winning studio show Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai with Johnson, Barkley, O'Neal and Smith will recap the night's action.

Additionally, fans will have access to All-Star Weekend through other digital and social media platforms including:

· NBA.com will feature TNT OverTime, an online mosaic player, for companion coverage of NBA All-Star 2012.

· Four live HD streaming camera angles with DVR functionality and picture-in-picture capabilities for Friday, Saturday and Sunday can be seen via TNT Overtime's live video player.

· Fans have a chance to vote for which player the Player Cam will follow per quarter during the All-Star Game by using TNT Overtime's live video player.

· Viewers also can participate in a live chat by logging onto TNT's Overtime and using their Facebook, Twitter or MySpace accounts.

· Live streaming coverage on TNT OverTime of Friday's BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm and All-Star 2012 presented by Kia Motors enhances TNT's live television coverage.

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports' television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company's digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

TNT, one of cable's top-rated networks, is television's destination for drama. Seen in 99 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy(R) winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle; Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells, as well as the upcoming series Major Crimes, Dallas and Perception. TNT also presents compelling original movies, including a slate of thrillers set to premiere this winter in The TNT Mystery Movie Night showcase. TNT is the cable home to powerful dramas like The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting next year, Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R); blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN.com and HLN; TBS, TNT, truTV and Turner Classic Movies; Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim; and Turner Sports.

Source: Nielsen Media Research. Based on Live+SD. 2011 NBA All-Star Game on TNT (2/20/2011) compared to NBA All-Star Game on TNT final audiences (2003 through 2010). 2011 NBA All Star Saturday Night on TNT (2/19/2011) compared to NBA All-Star Saturday Night on TNT final audiences (1985 through 2010).

NBA Digital to Feature Multiplatform Coverage of NBA All-Star 2012 Including First Ever "NBA.com Social Spotlight" Highlighting Fan Tweets, Photos, and Videos

NBA TV to Provide 95 Hours of All-Star Programming for Fans Including Interviews with LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Blake Griffin

NBA Mobile to Provide Fans with Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Access

NBA Digital, a partnership between Turner Sports and the NBA, today announced plans to deliver fans multiplatform coverage of NBA All-Star 2012 through the league's broad portfolio of television, online, digital and social platforms, highlighted by the first ever "NBA.com Social Spotlight" that will feature the best fan tweets, photos and videos throughout All-Star in one convenient and easy place to view on NBA.com.

During NBA All-Star, NBA TV will deliver fans more than 95 hours of dedicated All-Star programming including interviews with LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin and many other NBA All-Star participants, and an exclusive live presentation of NBA Commissioner David Stern's All-Star press conference on Saturday (Feb. 25).

The league's network also will provide fans with a special NBA Game Time: All-Star Sunday (4 pm ET), followed by live coverage of the Sprint Pre-Game Concert at NBA All-Star (5 pm ET). Throughout All-Star, NBA TV's marquee roster of talent, including Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Steve Smith, Dennis Scott and Brent Barry, will be on site in Orlando providing fans with updates on NBA TV, NBA.com and via Twitter.

In addition, NBA Mobile will provide fans with exclusive behind-the-scenes access, live alerts and new content channels through the NBA GameTime app.

NBA Digital highlights throughout NBA All-Star 2012 include:

NBA TV at All-Star:

David Stern All-Star Press Conference: NBA TV will present an exclusive presentation of Stern's All-Star press conference live on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. (ET), which will lead up to TNT's exclusive presentation of NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm.

East and West All-Star Practices and Programming: NBA TV will provide fans exclusive access to All-Star programming all day on Saturday, Feb. 25, starting with All-Star East and West Practices at 10:30 a.m. (ET), followed by the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown at 1:30 p.m. (ET), 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by 26 Seconds at 2 p.m. (ET) and the NBA TV All-Star Weekend Presented by Kia Motors at 11 p.m. (ET). Fans also will have the opportunity to catch special All-Star episodes of The Jump Presented by Sprint, The Beat, and NBA GameTime during the weekend.

Slam Dunk Marathon: Celebrating Slam Dunk champions over the past 25 years, NBA TV will air the Dunk-A-Thon Presented by Sprite beginning at Noon on Thursday, Feb. 23 as a buildup to this year's festivities. The marathon will feature every slam dunk competition since 1984, along with a special presentation of the first slam dunk contest during the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, which featured Julius Erving's mesmerizing dunk from the foul line.

Additional NBA TV Programming: NBA TV will capture the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge practice on Friday, Feb. 24 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) and will feature the Sprint Pre-Game Concert at NBA All-Star on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 5:00 pm. (ET).

NBA TV's marquee roster of on-air talent for NBA All-Star includes former NBA Players, NBA Champions, Hall of Famers, NBA All-Stars, and Olympic Gold Medalists:

· Anchors: Matt Winer, Vince Cellini, Rick Kamla and JarEd Greenberg

· Analysts: Former NBA players Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Steve Smith, Dennis Scott and Brent Barry, as well as NBA Insider David Aldridge.

· TNT Talent: Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, Mike Fratello, Craig Sager, and will join NBA TV throughout the weekend.

NBA.com at All-Star:

NBA.com Social Spotlight: NBA.com will shine a light on the weekend's best tweets, photos and videos from fans through NBA.com Social Spotlight - a dynamic flipper-ticker board that will showcase the best NBA fan tweets, photos and videos in a colorful and visual way.

NBA.com All-Star Pulse: The All-Star Pulse returns this year amplifying the most-buzzworthy topics during NBA All-Star weekend on Twitter and Facebook including comments from players and celebrities, along with news and video coverage. This year for the first time, All-Star Pulse is available on mobile and iPad using HTML5 technology.

NBA.com All-Star Scene Takeover: This year, the popular All-Star Scene gets expanded to provide a more robust social clearinghouse on the site's homepage, covering all the major events and happenings throughout the weekend in real-time. Fans can follow real-time tweets from NBA Players and Insiders, share user-generated video, see what topics and content are trending in real-time and get behind-the-scenes videos from players and celebrities.

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