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KINGS OF LEON TO HEADLINE MARKETING CAMPAIGN AND PERFORM DURING THE 2011 NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR^® WEEKEND AT THE COCA-COLA ZERO™ COUNTDOWN-PART OF THE BIG DANCE CONCERT SERIES

 

CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE VIEWERS AND PROMOTE THE NEW TOURNAMENT FORMAT AS GAMES AIR NATIONALLY ON CBS, TBS, TNT AND truTV

For Immediate Release

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Contact(s)

Jeff Pomeroy
Turner Sports
404/827-4786
jeff.pomeroy@turner.com

Megan Bondi
Turner Sports
404/827-0297
megan.bondi@turner.com

Dan Sabreen
CBS Sports
212/975-5936
dsabreen@cbs.com

Jenn Tonner
Turner Broadcasting
212/275-6642
jennifer.toner@turner.com

Gail Dent
NCAA
317/917-6222
gdent@ncaa.org

Brittney Seltzer
Dancie Pergugini Ware Public Relations
713/224-9115
britney@dpwpr.com

Ken Weinstein
Big Hassle Media for Kings of Leon
212/619-1360
weinstein@bighassle.com

INDIANAPOLIS---Turner Sports and CBS Sports announced today that they will roll out a unified multi-platform marketing campaign to promote the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The campaign will feature a full-length music video featuring the four-time GRAMMY® Award winning band Kings of Leon, who will perform the song “The Immortals,” off the RIAA Gold-certified Come Around Sundown. The video will debut nationally across 5,800 movie screens from March 4 – 17.  The video, along with a comprehensive cross-platform campaign, is designed to promote awareness, educate and inform viewers about the unprecedented access to all the games during NCAA March Madness^®, which for the first time in the tournament’s 73-year history, will be available live in their entirety across four national television networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. The campaign will conclude when Kings of Leon headlines the Coca-Cola Zero™ Countdown on Saturday, April 2, part of The Big Dance^® Concert Series during the  2011 MEN’S FINAL FOUR weekend in Houston.

Please click on the link to view the Kings of Leon video on NCAA.com

This robust marketing campaign, which combines the powers of two giant media companies, is part of the 14-year agreement between Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA to air the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.  CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ extensive outreach includes online, spot cable, digital billboards, digital elevator ads, spot radio and print. In addition, promotion will also appear on select Turner-owned networks, which include TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, HLN and CNN Airport and select CBS’s shared resources, which includes the CBS Television Network, CBS Radio, CBS Outdoor and CBS Interactive. Throughout March, CBS and Turner also will use their stars in special messages to promote the Tournament. In addition, an aggressive local market plan will be used for the over 200 CBS affiliates across the country.

“We are proud to be working with Kings of Leon throughout the tournament and using their powerful song “The Immortals” as a theme of our marketing campaign and coverage,” said Christina Miller, senior vice president of Turner Sports strategy, marketing and programming.  “Our extensive multi-platform campaign will help communicate to fans the exciting new changes to the tournament’s coverage, particularly that every single game will be broadcast live nationally for the first time ever, allowing fans to choose which games they want to watch.”

“CBS is thrilled to be traveling down the Road to the Final Four with Kings of Leon and Turner, “said George Schweitzer, President, CBS Marketing Group. “This unprecedented multi-layered marketing campaign maximizes CBS’s powerful media platforms through television, radio, outdoor and online, combined with Turner’s many great platforms, to yield the greatest reach with unprecedented impact.”

To complement the overall marketing campaign, Kings of Leon also will headline the Coca-Cola Zero Countdown at the three-day free music festival. The Kings of Leon concert will take place at Discovery Green in downtown Houston.  Other artists to perform during the Coca-Cola Zero Countdown and during the other two days of the Big Dance Concert Series will be announced at a later date.  For the latest on The Big Dance Concert Series and all of NCAA Men’s Final Four events and activities, go to NCAA.com/FinalFour.

"We couldn't be more excited to be working with Turner Sports and CBS on this massive campaign," said Kings of Leon manager Ken Levitan. "Everyone in the band is a huge college hoops fan so we're really looking forward to being a part of this."

The 2011 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tips off in primetime with the NCAA FIRST FOUR™ on truTV Tuesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 16 and concludes with the FINAL FOUR^® semifinals and national championship game on CBS Saturday, April 2 and Monday, April 4, respectively.

“This campaign is an important part of our outreach strategy to assure March Madness fans take full advantage of the expanded coverage of the NCAA Championship coming next month on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Fans will be able to watch their favorite teams and all of the action from start to finish,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA interim executive vice president of championships and alliances. “Kings of Leon is one of today’s most popular acts and their involvement is a further boost to the entire campaign with the enthusiasm continuing through the Big Dance in Houston.”

“2011 will be the most exciting year yet for NCAA March Madness fans with more access to impressive performances both on the court and at the Coke Zero Countdown,” said Sharon Byers, vice president, sports and entertainment, Coca-Cola North America. “We are excited to partner with Turner Sports and CBS Sports this year to give fans an unprecedented March Madness experience.” 

About Kings of Leon

One of the most popular rock bands working today, the Nashville-based four-time Grammy Award-winning Kings of Leon have sold nearly 12 million records worldwide since they exploded onto the scene in 2003. Their latest album, RIAA Gold-certified Come Around Sundown, came out in the fall of 2010 and was called "the blockbuster of the new season" by the NY Times and was hailed by USA Today, noting that its songs had "the grandeur and emotional weight that turned the Kings into rock royalty." It has sold nearly three million copies across the globe so far. Kings of Leon will headline the Coachella Music Festival in April, and will kick off the 15th season of VH1 Storytellers in May.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic 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 www.NCAA.org and www.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, Infiniti, The Hartford, Hershey’s, LG, Lowe’s, Planters, Unilever and UPS.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Together with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio includes 14 billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

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 Sports

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. 

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