Euroleague Basketball and AEG Announce Global Partnership

A central component of the partnership includes the hosting of Euroleague Final Four events in arenas owned or operated by AEG as well as providing services to Euroleague clubs regarding venue management, sales, and content optimization, in addition to the design, development, and construction of new world-class arenas.

Los Angeles-based AEG is considered one of the world’s leading arena design and management organizations – having built STAPLES Center (Los Angeles) and The O2 (London), which recently hosted an NBA exhibition between the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves – while owning or operating more of the world’s top 100 arenas than any other company. AEG’s new O2 World Arena will be one of Europe's most modern multi-functional arenas and Germany’s first-ever arena designed to host major International basketball competitions.

EUROLEAGUE FINAL FOURS IN BERLIN AND LONDON

Also announced were plans for Euroleague Basketball to host the 2009 Euroleague Final Four in AEG’s new O2 World arena in Berlin (opening September, 2008). AEG and Euroleague Basketball also plan to have either the 2010 or 2011 Euroleague Final Four at AEG’s O2 Arena in London. AEG will also host future events in other company owned or operated facilities across Europe.

CONSULTING & SUPPORT FOR TEAMS

AEG will provide Euroleague and ULEB Cup teams with assistance in optimizing the economic benefits and revenue streams attained from their facilities. This can include consultation services on the design and construction of arenas to meet Euroleague basketball requirements while adding design elements to increase their ability to host other sports and entertainment programming in their venues.

AEG will also provide support to Euroleague Basketball in the sales of sponsorship and media rights owned by various teams and the league.

"This partnership is a quantum leap for Euroleague Basketball. We are able to offer fans the possibility of enjoying the best basketball in the best facilities in Europe’s, located in the most important capitals, while improving the event organization and its economic exploitation," said Jordi Bertomeu, CEO of Euroleague Basketball. "At the same time we offer our clubs the possibility of being able to grow as organizations with the services offered by AEG. Overall European basketball will benefit from this agreement."

"AEG believes in European basketball and the power of the Euroleague Basketball brand," said Andrew Messick, AEG Executive Vice President, Marketing & International and President of AEG Sports. "We are delighted to be able to help Euroleague Basketball continue to grow and succeed and to be able to showcase the best club basketball in Europe in our state of the art, world-class facilities."

About AEG

AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. With over 15,000 employees, Los Angeles-based AEG owns or controls nearly 100 venues including The O2 (London), Color Line Arena (Hamburg) O2 World (opening in Berlin this fall), STAPLES Center (Los Angeles) NOKIA Theatre Times Square, Prudential Center (Newark, New Jersey), Sprint Center (Kansas City, Missouri), Acer Arena (Sydney), Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena and Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane). AEG Sports owns more sports franchises worldwide than any other organization and made worldwide headlines when their Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) signed English superstar David Beckham to a five-year contract. AEG Live, the company’s live entertainment division is one of the world’s leading concert promotion and touring companies with fifteen regional offices and stand-alone affiliate divisions devoted to all aspects of live entertainment including: AEG LIVE Events, creators and producers of special events of all sizes; AEG-TV, creators of live events for television, DVD, pay-per-view, cinema and other electronic media and AEG LIVE Tours & Special Events, Concerts West, Goldenvoice, The Messina Group and AEG Exhibitions, the company’s national entertainment promotion and touring divisions. Recent concert tours promoted by AEG Live include Bon Jovi, Prince, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart and Justin Timberlake.

ABOUT EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL

Europe’s premier basketball competition, Euroleague Basketball, was founded in 2000 under a private organizational model that is considered a breakthrough for European professional team sports. The competition features 24 clubs from 12 or more countries per season and crowns its champion each spring at the Euroleague Final Four, one of the signature events of European sports. Basketball in Europe has experienced spectacular growth in recent years, along with the development of Euroleague Basketball. In just seven years, Euroleague Basketball has consolidated a competition of the highest sporting level, has introduced the concept of a professional league to Europe and has expanded its television reach beyond Europe reaching coverage in the five continents.