Cartoon Network today announced a multifaceted partnership with the NBA to develop long- and short-form basketball-themed content across a wide variety of platforms, including online, mobile, VOD and on-air. Through this partnership and the network’s alignment with Turner Sports, this announcement continues a long-standing relationship the NBA has had with Turner Broadcasting for over 25 years.

“We’re thrilled to be teaming up with one of the world’s most preeminent sports brands,” said Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media.  “This partnership with the NBA is part of the ongoing sports strategy at Cartoon Network and is a perfect extension of our brand that will allow us to continue to create even more relevant and compelling content that speaks directly to our audience.”

“Cartoon Network represents the best in entertainment for kids and families, and new shows like My Dad’s a Pro demonstrate the kind of innovative programming we hope to produce in this new partnership,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Adam Silver.

"This collaboration is a further extension of the strong business relationship and long-term partnership we have developed with the NBA,” said David Levy, president of Turner Sports and Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc.  “The expansion of our partnership with the league speaks to the strength of our company.  Whether it’s sports, kids’ entertainment or news programming, Turner delivers strong content on a multitude of platforms.”

To coincide with the NBA season tip-off in fall 2009, Cartoon Network is developing the short-form series, My Dad’s a Pro, the first of several programming initiatives to come out of the Cartoon Network/NBA partnership.  The short-form series follows the children of NBA players, and explores the day to day thrills and challenges that go along with such an exciting lifestyle. The first of these episodes will premiere this fall.  Also this fall, a sustained and robust basketball section will launch on CartoonNetwork.com.  The customized branded environment will allow sports fans to share their passion for the game throughout the year with a mix of basketball-themed multimedia content.

Source: Turner Sports

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