LOS ANGELES and BOSTON – Feb. 1, 2010 – Universal Sports, the preeminent multiplatform
destination for Olympic-related sports programming, and the Boston Athletic
Association (BAA), announced today a
multi-year agreement that makes Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com
the exclusive national television home, as well as worldwide multimedia
destination, for the legendary Boston Marathon for the next three years
beginning 2010 through 2012. The
114th Boston Marathon will take place Monday, April 19 at 9:30 a.m.
ET.
Anchored by veteran sports commentator Al Trautwig, Universal Sports’ three-hour broadcast will kick-off at 9:30 a.m. ET. WBZ-TV will continue as the exclusive local broadcast partner for the Boston Marathon.
UniversalSports.com will start at 9:30 a.m. ET with LIVE coverage of the complete race, along with athlete
trackers, course maps, field previews, full-length videos, highlights, photos
and recaps at UniversalSports.com.
“Our partnership with Universal Sports
and Universal Sports.com now allows us national and global reach of this
storied and most exciting of the World Marathon Majors, the 114th
Boston Marathon,” said Guy Morse, executive director of the BAA. “With
Universal Sports, along with our ongoing local partnership with WBZ-TV, we can
provide marathon fans across Boston and the nation with in-depth and
comprehensive coverage of this amazing athletic competition.”
Universal
Sports is home to the World Marathon Majors (WMM), offering complete and
in-depth television and multimedia coverage of the five marathon majors: Boston
Marathon, Virgin London Marathon, real,-Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, and the ING New York City Marathon.
Headlining
the world-class men’s field will be Americans Meb Keflezighi, the reigning
New York Marathon champion, and Ryan Hall, current holder of the second-fastest
American marathon time. With their goal to be the first male American winner since
Greg Meyer in 1983, both will be competing against a field of the world’s best.
"Both the men's and women's elite field will be announced by John Hancock
Financial, the principal sponsor of the race, during the last week of
February."
ABOUT UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC
Sports and InterMedia Partners, serves as the preeminent multiplatform
destination for Olympic-related and lifestyle sports programming available on
television and online. Universal Sports is available in 57 million homes,
including nine of the top 10 DMAs: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Recent
expansion includes launches in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and
Jacksonville. Go to UniversalSports.com for a complete list of TV markets. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying
events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming,
gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing,
speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive
experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top
athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and
information year round. For more information on the availability of the
Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.com.
About
Boston Athletic Association:
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit
organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy
lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is
the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local
events, including the B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute and the Jimmy Fund, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and
year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon
has been John Hancock Financial, which celebrates its 25th year of sponsorship
in 2010.
# # #
Media Contacts
Melisa
Mowry
(240)
396-1906
mmowry@universalsports.com
(404)
550-4885
amyssorrells@comcast.net
Greg
Hughes
(404)
394-3700
ghughes5425@gmail.com