UNINTERRUPTED Secures $5.8M Financing Led By Warner Bros. Entertainment

UNINTERRUPTED Secures $15.8M Financing Led By Warner Bros. Entertainment December 2, 2015

Fundraising expands Turner Sports' role in the company as an equity partner and primary sales arm

UNINTERRUPTED extends its reach to an additional distribution stream through multi-year content partnership with go90

The multimedia network also announces new executive team led by CEO Maverick Carter

Los Angeles, CA - UNINTERRUPTED, the multimedia network for exclusive sports lifestyle content created by international icon LeBron James and business partner Maverick Carter, has aligned with two Time Warner companies, global entertainment leader, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and existing partner Turner Sports, to raise $15.8 million in new financing. The additional capital will allow the growing athlete point-of-view platform to develop exclusive content, elevate the brand, expand to additional platforms, and further engage potential partners.

The best thing about UNINTERRUPTED is there are so many creative opportunities for athletes to tell their stories, said LeBron James. Im excited to be partnering with important, innovative companies like Warner Brothers and Turner to keep building UNINTERRUPTED as a place for athletes to go to connect with fans and share their stories in a different way.

With the unique UNINTERRUPTED platform, there is a real opportunity to create a special business that athletes, brands, and media partners can come together to create and distribute creative content, said Maverick Carter, UNINTERRUPTED CEO. Whether it's through real-time videos, original digital series, or documentaries, UNINTERRUPTED provides that creative outlet for athletes to share their stories in a way they can't anywhere else.

LeBron and Maverick bring incredible energy, focus and creativity to everything they do and are excellent partners with us in TV, film and digital, said Craig Hunegs, President Business and Strategy, Warner Bros. Television Group. Joining forces with LeBron, other world-class athletes and Bleacher Report to aggressively build UNINTERRUPTED was an easy decision that's great for fans and great for Warner Bros.

In addition to having an equity stake in the company, Turner Sports will now serve as the primary sales arm for the newly expanded UNINTERRUPTED venture. Building on its existing role as the platform's original content host, Turner's Bleacher Report and UNINTERRUPTED will have a preferred content relationship.

In collaboration with Warner Bros., Turner Sports is thrilled to expand its relationship with UNINTERRUPTED as a leading platform for influential athletes to share unfiltered messages directly with their passionate fans, said Lenny Daniels, president of Turner Sports. UNINTERRUPTED has been a perfect fit with Bleacher Report's mission to provide compelling, mobile- and social-first content that drives engagement with sports fans in an authentic way and we look forward to further growing the reach of this popular multimedia platform.

Part of UNINTERRUPTED's planned long-term growth includes expansion onto new platforms, with the venture today announcing a new multi-year deal with go90, a mobile-first platform, to provide content, original series, and exclusive athlete point-of-view videos. The go90 platform becomes UNINTERRUPTED's third distribution stream following the multimedia company's presence on Turner's Bleacher Report and the recently announced partnership with Facebook to host 360 videos including the 5-episode UNINTERRUPTED original series Striving for Greatness featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of James' unparalleled preparation for his pursuit of another title in his 13th NBA season. Access go90 by simply downloading the app in the App Store or Google Play.

Bringing audiences closer to what they love is what go90 is all about, so to team with the creators at UNINTERRUPTED makes a ton of sense, said Brian Angiolet, senior vice president of consumer products at go90. If you have seen any of these rare, real-time videos and have taken in a few of the interesting athlete perspectives, then I have no doubt you're excited about what's coming next from UNINTERRUPTED.

Originally created by James and his business partner Carter, UNINTERRUPTED has assembled an executive staff with some of the country's most innovative and sought after talent. Led in day-to-day operations by CEO Carter, UNINTERRUPTED has recently made key hires in all phases of the company's operations including President Jamal Henderson, who previously led some of PepsiCo's integrated marketing and brand development strategies; Matthew Trunzo, the new head of business development, who was integral to Yelps content API and mobile distribution, monetization, and domestic and international growth; Amber Mayo, head of marketing and former director of media and partnerships at Samsung Telecommunications America; and longtime national NBA writer and former Staance product manager, Jimmy Spencer, as the head of content.

Since its launch in early 2015, UNINTERRUPTED has evolved into a go-to source for premium, authentic, and unfiltered sports lifestyle content including exclusive athlete videos, digital originals, documentaries, and community-created content. Through its growing network, UNINTERRUPTED's original and exclusive content is distributed globally across multiple platforms with a particular focus on mobile, web, and social networks.

LINK:	http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2015/12/02/uninterru...
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