NBC SPORTS VENTURES ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH SPARTAN RACE

Multi-Year Alliance To Present Obstacle Racing on NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra

World Championship Race to Air on NBC; Five Races to Air on NBCSN

STAMFORD, CONN. -July 14, 2014- NBC Sports Ventures, a division of NBC Sports Group, Spartan Race, the global leader in the sport of obstacle racing, and Reebok, today announced a multi-year strategic alliance that will provide unprecedented coverage of the Reebok Spartan Race series across NBC Sports Group platforms, and will see all groups cooperate on joint marketing, promotional and sales efforts.

The alliance provides NBC Sports Ventures with the exclusive broadcast, cable and digital rights to the Reebok Spartan Race series. NBC Sports Group’s coverage will culminate with the Spartan Race World Championship on Sunday, November 16th at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Leading up to the World Championship, NBCSN will telecast five additional Reebok Spartan Races, beginning Tuesday, July 22nd at 11 p.m. ET with a race from Tuxedo, NY. All races shown on NBC and NBCSN will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets. Encore presentations of Reebok Spartan Races will also be available on NBCSN, NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks, and Universal Sports Network.

During each telecast, viewers will be provided a front-row seat to competitors tackling a gauntlet of obstacles, including spear throws, fire jumps, aerial traverses over water, challenging rope climbs and barbed wire crawls. In addition, the all-access experience will chronicle the stories of many of the amazing people competing in the races.

In addition to its linear and digital presentation of the racing series, NBC Sports Ventures will provide Spartan Race with marketing and promotional support, and lead its national sponsorship and international television sales efforts.

“We are thrilled to launch this strategic alliance with Spartan Race and join them as pioneers in bringing this new sport category to television,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Ventures. “The skill and excitement of obstacle racing is something that athletes and sports fans of all disciplines can appreciate. Spartan Race is the world’s premier obstacle racing series, and we are looking forward to growing the fan base and obstacle racing business together with the help of NBC Sports’ unique promotional and marketing support.”

“At Reebok, we believe in the power of obstacle racing as a means for people to push themselves and discover their full potential,” said Yan Martin, Vice President, Global Brand Communications, Reebok. “We’re extremely excited to see this fascinating sport being brought to a wider audience. This partnership will not only raise the sport’s profile, but will inspire people watching at home to get out and challenge themselves – and have a great time doing it.”

Said Spartan Race’s CEO, Joe De Sena, “The entire team at Spartan is excited to launch our partnership with NBC Sports Group. By amplifying the level of visibility for the sport of obstacle racing, we’re taking a huge step towards our mission to pull people off the couch and get them living fit. We have big dreams for this sport, and exciting times are ahead. Our alliance with NBC Sports moves us firmly towards our goals.”

Reebok Spartan Race Television Schedule: (All times ET)

NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets — will stream all Reebok Spartan Races on NBC and NBCSN. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play and on Windows 8 and Windows mobile devices.

ABOUT SPARTAN RACE

Founded in 2010, Spartan Race is the global leader in the sport of obstacle racing. Spartan races cater to individuals looking to test their physical limits and change their frame of reference for what they can accomplish, from everyday people looking to get off the couch and lead a fitter lifestyle, to elite endurance athletes who seek the ultimate physical test. Currently, Spartan Race offers three primary race formats, “Sprint” (3+ miles; 15+ obstacles), “Super” (8+ miles; 20+ obstacles) and “Beast” (13+ miles; 25+ obstacles), along with a shorter format race for children. Unlike other obstacle-focused events, Spartan Races are always timed, and competitors are encouraged to complete each of the primary race distances to achieve “Trifecta” status, earning medals for each finish. With over 40 races slated for the United States in 2014 and an additional 70 races scheduled across 17 countries internationally, Spartan Race urges you to change your life today by signing up to race at www.spartan.com.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS VENTURES

The NBC Sports Ventures Unit, a division of the NBC Sports Group, is charged with acquiring and developing new and existing sports properties for NBC Sports, NBCSN and Golf Channel. Properties under the NBC Sports Ventures umbrella include the Dew Action Sports Tour, Red Bull Signature Series, American Century Golf Championship, the Tyco Golf Skills Challenge, World Series of Beach Volleyball, Reebok Spartan Race, USA Rugby 7’s World Series and Collegiate Championships, and the National Dog Show.

ABOUT REEBOK

Reebok International Ltd., headquartered in Canton, MA, USA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of fitness and lifestyle footwear, apparel and equipment. An American-inspired global brand, Reebok is a pioneer in the sporting goods industry with a rich and storied heritage in running, training and fitness. Reebok is committed to helping consumers fulfil their potential and be “fit for life.” Reebok develops products, technologies and programming which enable consumers to live a healthy lifestyle and have fun doing it. Reebok connects with the fitness consumer wherever they are and however they choose to stay fit – whether it’s training, running, walking, dance, yoga or aerobics. Reebok Classics leverages the brand’s fitness heritage and represents the roots of the brand in the sports lifestyle market. A subsidiary of the adidas Group, Reebok operates under the multiple divisions of the Reebok brand, Reebok-CCM Hockey and the Sports Licensed Division.  Reebok is the exclusive outfitter of CrossFit and the Reebok CrossFit Games, the official title sponsor of the Reebok Spartan Race, and exclusive apparel provider for Les Mills.

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–