Slam Dunk Central

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NBA.com is reporting Thursday that Turner Broadcasting and the National Basketball Association have announced a “ground-breaking” expansion of what is the longest running league/network programming partnership in profesional sports; both companies will jointly manage a portfolio of the NBA’s digital businesses of which TBS will operate from out of Atlanta.

The partnership in question will be fully effective for the 2008-09 NBA season and run through the 2015-16 season.? Also under the new agreement:

? TBS, Inc. will assume responsibility for programming, marketing and technical operations of NBA TV, the league?s 24-hour digital television network;
? TBS, Inc. will host and operate the NBA.com Network, which includes NBA.com, WNBA.com and NBADLeague.com;
? TBS, Inc. will operate NBA League Pass, the league?s out-of-market game package, and the NBA?s broadband and wireless businesses;
? TBS, Inc. and the NBA will jointly sell advertising for all of the digital assets;
? On-air talent from the Emmy Award-winning NBA on TNT and TNT?s Inside the NBA will appear on NBA TV;
? NBA Entertainment, the league?s award-winning production and programming arm based in Secaucus, N.J., will continue to provide content for all of the NBA?s digital businesses.

The current television agreement between TNT and the NBA extends their partnership? through 2016 - 32 years at the end of the agreement.