MTV Networks and NBC Universal Announce Action Sports Partnership on AST

MTV Networks and NBC Universal Announce Action Sports Partnership on AST

Competition, Music & Lifestyle to be Featured on MTV/NBC Joint Venture

NEW YORK, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV Networks Music Group, a division of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:and) (NYSE:VIA.B) and NBC Sports, a division of NBC Universal, Inc. today announced a wide ranging, strategic partnership to expand the AST (Action Sports Tour), a global, youth-focused, multimedia, action sports business that includes the AST Dew Tour, the AST Winter Dew Tour and the amateur Free Flow Tour into a global brand that spans MTV and NBC's multiple screens. Van Toffler, President, MTV Networks Music and Logo Group and Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics made the announcement. Action Sports Tour, LLC, the company that will operate the business, will be co-owned by MTV Networks and NBC Sports.

As part of the MTV Networks/NBC Universal alliance around the AST, MTV and MTV2 will provide lifestyle programming, targeted cross-promotion, multi- platform content and distribution, consumer products licensing and merchandising to the joint venture. NBC Sports will continue to produce extensive competition coverage of the AST tours and provide live network broadcasts and on-air promotion around AST competitions.

The addition of MTV and MTV2 programming for the AST nearly doubles what was already action sports' largest annual television schedule. MTV and MTV2 will produce programming showcasing the AST competition as well as the lifestyle of some of action sports biggest names and those up and coming on the circuit. In addition, the music brands will highlight the musical aspects of the tour, with MTV2 spotlighting emerging local artists as part of the tour's overall activities. In addition, MTV will build upon the AST's significant digital reach on AST.com, adding more tools, enhanced community, functionality and video content for users to interact with and find out more about the latest news from the tour 24/7 and throughout the year.

"MTV pioneered the marriage of music, sports and lifestyle back in the early 1990's," said Van Toffler, President of MTV Networks Music and Logo Group. "Today, by joining forces with NBC Sports on the AST, we'll be giving our audience the chance to experience a next generation sports tour that covers it all."

Ebersol said: "When we created the Action Sports Tour, we always hoped that one day MTV would be a strategic partner. The Tour will see immediate benefits from this alliance and is now uniquely positioned for long-term growth."

In 2005, NBC Sports created and launched the Dew Tour, the first, season- long, nationally televised, competitive tour for the growing action sports of skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross with five events. The AST umbrella brand for the various Tours and businesses was introduced in 2007 and in April 2008, the AST's first international event, the AST China Invitational, was contested in Beijing. Starting in December 2008, the three-stop Winter Dew Tour (snowboarding and free style skiing disciplines) for men and women will launch. The AST's Free Flow Tour started in 2005 and creates local skate park competition opportunities for top amateur skaters and BMX riders to compete against the AST's pro athletes.

"This is a terrific partnership that blends truly complementary reach and expertise. NBC Sports has demonstrated extraordinary vision from day one with the AST and coupled with the MTV and MTV2's assets, the partnership will bolster the AST, and action sports as a whole, on so many levels," said Wade Martin, AST President and General Manager.

Martin will continue in his current role and will oversee tour sales, marketing, business development and operations for the MTVN/NBCU joint venture reporting to its board of directors. Jeff Yapp, Executive Vice President of Program Enterprises for MTV Networks Music & Logo Group and Kevin Monaghan, Senior Vice President, Business Development, NBC Sports and Olympics, will be the lead directors from each company.

For 44 consecutive quarters, MTV has been the #1 rated cable network for the coveted 12-24 year old audience. MTV has a history in programming sports music and lifestyle, with such series and specials as "MTV's Sports," "MTV's Rock N' Jock" and the "MTV Sports and Music Festival," among others. Its sister channel, MTV2 has the highest concentration of young males across all of cable. In addition, MTV Games and Harmonix launched "Rock Band," in 2007 the wildly successful music-based video game.

The 2007 AST Dew Tour was the most watched action sports property globally, including an estimated 41 million domestic viewers consuming the combined 33 hours of AST programming on NBC Sports and the USA Network. The summer Dew Tour also has domestic distribution partnerships with NBCU's Universal HD, Fox's Fuel, Rush HD and Hulu.com, the Internet video sharing network. In addition, the summer Dew Tour is distributed in over 100 countries and available in 23 different languages on six continents in 280 million homes worldwide on Eurosport, Eurosport2, Fox Sports International, Extreme Channel, China's CCTV and Fox/Fuel Australia, as well as on a variety of new media platforms including Broadband, Cable MSO Video-on-Demand. Sony's PSP and Verizon Wireless. In 2007, NBC began live, international broadcasting of AST events through multi-year agreements with Eurosport2 and Fox/Fuel Australia.

The 2008 AST Dew Tour kicks off its fourth season in Baltimore June 19-22 with the Panasonic Open. The Tour resumes July 17-20 with the Right Guard Open from Cleveland. On August 21-24, Portland hosts the Wendy's Invitational. The Toyota Challenge will take place in Salt Lake City on September 11-14 and the Tour concludes with the PlayStation Open October 16-19 from Orlando. The first Winter Dew Tour begins December 18.

   For AST photos or video footage, please visit www.mtvpress.com.    Live teleconference today at 1PM ET   Dial-in: 913.312.0836   Code: MTV Networks and NBC Sports   

A replay of today's teleconference can be heard two hours after the call at:

   Dial-in: 719.457.0820   Code: 7347611     AST  

AST was created in 2007 to function as the umbrella brand of the organization; the Dew Tour is the AST's premier professional property. Owned by NBC Universal and MTV Networks, the AST Dew Tour, the world's premier season-long action sports tour, consists of five major, multi-sport events with a cumulative points system, a $2.5 million competitive purse -- the largest in action sports -- and an additional $1 million bonus pool based upon year-end standings. The Tour features skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt) and freestyle motocross, and at seasons' end, the Tour awards champions in the six disciplines with the Dew Cup. Key lifestyle elements at each Tour event include the festival village with video gaming and interactive events, as well as live cutting edge music. The AST Dew Tour's sponsorship partners including Mountain Dew (Summer & Winter tour title sponsor); Panasonic, Right Guard Xtreme, Wendy's, Toyota and PlayStation(R) (event title sponsors) along with Mongoose and Verizon Wireless associate partners.) More information can be found at www.ast.com.

MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, LOGO, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

NBC Universal Sports & Olympics

NBC Universal Sports & Olympics presents viewers with a lineup of prestigious sports properties. As America's Olympic Network, NBC will bring television's most powerful property to hundreds of millions of viewers through 2012, including the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the 2012 London Games. In September 2006, NBC kicked off "NBC Sunday Night Football," the premier primetime game of the week. The unprecedented six-year NFL deal, which includes innovative flexible scheduling, continues through the 2011 season with Super Bowls in 2009 and 2012. NBC's associations with the USGA, PGA of America and PGA TOUR were all recently extended: the USGA and PGA of America through 2014 and PGA TOUR through 2012. Under the agreements, NBC Sports will more than double its golf coverage beginning in 2007 and broadcast premier events such as the U.S. Open, Ryder Cup, The Players Championship, The Presidents Cup and the final three season-ending PGA TOUR Championship Series events featuring The Tour Championship.

Other premier NBC Sports properties include Notre Dame football, Wimbledon, the French Open, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. NBC Sports and the NHL entered a revenue sharing partnership in 2004. The network presents regional regular season coverage, Stanley Cup playoff games and primetime coverage of Games 3-7 of the Stanley Cup Final. In February 2004, NBC Sports announced the breakthrough AST Dew Tour, a five-month pro tour of action sports.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: MTV Networks Music Group

CONTACT: MTV Networks Music & Logo Group: Jeannie Kedas,
+1-212-846-4629, Jeannie.Kedas@mtvstaff.com, or Mariana Agathoklis,
+1-212-846-5755, mariana.agathoklis@mtvstaff.com; or NBC Sports: Lindsay Fitz,
+1-212-664-2121, Lindsay.Fitz@nbcuni.com; or AST Dew Tour: BJ Caretta,
+1-630-908-6309, bjcarretta@ast.com, or Nicole Mancuso, +1-630-908-6308,
nicolemancuso@ast.com

Web site: http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.mtvpress.com/
http://www.ast.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment