Cartoon Network Enterprises and National Basketball Association Extend Co-Branding Partnership for Ben 10: Alien Force

Building on Successful Youth Apparel Line, Program Expands to Include Spalding for Hit Boys' Action Brand

Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced a renewal and expansion of their co-branding partnership between the league and the hit boys' action franchise, Ben 10 Alien Force.  The deal extension, which covers the 2009-10 NBA season, builds on the successful launch of a co-branded youth apparel line from Outerstuff which premiered at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, and will expand to include a new line of co-branded basketballs from Spalding.
 
New designs integrating Ben 10 Alien Force characters with NBA league and team logos and mascots will be created for the apparel line, which includes long and short-sleeved t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies; while an all-new range of Spalding basketballs will also feature co-branded designs.  The new product will debut at the NBA All-Star 2010 in Dallas in February, and will also be distributed at NBA arenas throughout the country, the NBA Store in New York City, on CartoonNetworkShop.com, the NBAStore.com and additional retail outlets.

"The long-standing partnership between Turner and the NBA is one that we value and that has provided unique opportunities across a variety of platforms and audiences," said Christina Miller, senior vice president of Turner Sports Strategy/Marketing/Promotions and Cartoon Network Enterprises.  "Specifically in the kids space, this expansion of our relationship and program demonstrates the value and success of the program and the great synergy that exists between the
Ben 10 brand and the NBA and our respective audiences."

"We had a very positive response from our fans when we launched the initial Ben 10 NBA collection and the expansion of this year's line with Spalding will help us continue to build upon a successful program," said Lisa Piken, Sr. Director, Apparel and Accessories, NBA Global Merchandising Group.

The first-ever co-branded Ben 10 Alien Force and NBA product that debuted at NBA All-Star 2009 sold out and continued to sell well across all other retail outlets.  The success of the NBA All-Star line led to the creation of a co-branded NBA Finals line that launched in June.

The partnership between CNE and the NBA is an expansion of an existing relationship between Turner Broadcasting and the professional sports league which has lasted for more than 26 years, making Turner the league's longest continuous partner.  Through an agreement with Turner Sports, TNT has been a broadcaster of NBA programming for more than two decades and has renewed its partnership through the 2015-2016 season, while it also manages the rights for the NBA's portfolio of digital businesses.  In 2009, Cartoon Network and the NBA partnered to create a short-form television series, My Dad's A Pro, which premiered in the fall and follows the day-to-day life of Boston Celtics guard Eddie House and his seven-year-old son Jaelen. Additionally, in 2007, Cartoon Network partnered with NBA Cares, the league's social responsibility arm, to expand the network's Rescuing Recess program, whose mission is to create awareness about the importance of recess as an essential element of the school day.  Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is the national spokesperson for Rescuing Recess and together, the companies have pledged to enlist one million volunteer hours to rescue recess across America.

As a top-rated Cartoon Network original series for boys, Ben 10 Alien Force continues the Ben 10 saga and picks up the story five years later when 15-year-old Ben Tennyson chooses to once again put on the OMNITRIX and discovers that he can now transform him into 10 brand new aliens.  Created by Man of Action and produced at Cartoon Network Studios, the third season of the Ben 10 Alien Force series recently debuted on Cartoon Network and currently premieres on Friday nights 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) with replays throughout the week, and the live action movie, Ben 10 Alien Swarm debuted in November 2009 as the top-rated telecast of the day across both broadcast and cable with more than four million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.