Media Release

Turner Sports Expands Presence at CES 2018 Live from Las Vegas

CES Sports Zone Presented by Turner Sports to Include Sports Business Innovation Panels, ELEAGUE Street Fighter® V Celebrity Showdown & TNT’s Inside the NBA Live on Site

Keynote Panel on Thursday, Jan. 11, to Feature Turner President David Levy, WNBA President Lisa Borders, Twitter COO Anthony Noto, UEFA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein, & Two-Time NBA MVP Steve Nash

Turner Sports has expanded its presence at CES® 2018 in Las Vegas with a full slate of live events and a collection of some of the most innovative thought leaders that are redefining the sports, media and technology industries. This year’s first-ever CES Sports Zone presented by Turner Sports will commence with a four-day showcase Tuesday, Jan. 9 – Friday, Jan. 12, featuring sports-themed content that will provide attendees with an immersive experience focused on the intersection of sports and technology.

As a part of the CES Sports Zone, Turner Sports will program a Sports Business Innovation conference track – Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 10-11, beginning at 10 a.m. local each day – with two full days of panel discussions, a live ELEAGUE showcase and TNT’s Sports Emmy award-winning Inside the NBA studio team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal live from Tech West Sands, Hall D.

Thursday’s schedule will be highlighted by a headliner panel including Turner President   David Levy  , WNBA President  Lisa Borders , Twi tter Chief Operating Officer Anthony Noto, UEFA Marketing Director Guy -Laurent Epstein and ei  ght-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash.  Panel discussions throughout the day will include Bleacher Report founder and CEO Dave Finocchio, Turner NBA Players Only commentators Chris Webber, Isiah Thomas, Baron Davis and Dennis Scott, among others.  The night will culminate with the Inside the NBA studio team providing pregame, halftime and postgame coverage surrounding the evening’s NBA on TNT doubleheader live from CES.

Wednesday’s lineup will include panels featuring UNINTERRUPTED’s Maverick Carter, NFL Chief Information Officer Michelle McKenna-Doyle, World Surf League CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, former MLB Player and MLB on TBS analyst Jimmy Rollins, NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund, among others. The day will conclude with an ELEAGUE Street Fighter® V Celebrity Showdown.

Sports Business Innovation Conference Track

Wednesday, Jan. 10 – 10 a.m.–12:45 p.m. PT

Panels will include:

  • Impact of Diversity: Reshaping the Future – UNINTERRUPTED and SpringHill Entertainment CEO Maverick Carter will moderate a session focusing on the importance of diversity and its impact on the sports and tech industry with panelists including NFL Chief Information Officer Michelle McKenna-Doyle and World Surf League CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. 
  • The Social Impact of Sports – NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund will lead a discussion centered on how athletes, teams and leagues are fully leveraging their assets – along with the adaptation of the latest technology – to drive social and community change.
  • The Diverse Consumer: Discovering, Identifying & Evolving – Jared Smith, President of Ticketmaster North America and Shelley Pisarra, SVP of Research & Insights, Wasserman, will be among the panelists sharing insights on how the industry is adapting to the evolving consumer and how creating new interactive experiences within the venue can help attract fans across a variety of interests and backgrounds.

ELEAGUE Street Fighter® V Celebrity Showdown Live From CES - 3:30 – 6:00 p.m. PT

ELEAGUE, the professional esports organization formed in partnership between Turner and WME | IMG, will present ELEAGUE Street Fighter® V Celebrity Showdown which will feature a live rematch between Shaquille O’Neal and Natalie Eva Marie as they compete for bragging rights to be the new Street Fighter Celebrity champion.

Thursday, Jan. 11 – 10 a.m.–12:45 p.m. PT

Panels will include:

  • Evolving the Content Ecosystem – Turner’s Sports Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Ernie Johnson will moderate a keynote panel including Turner President David Levy, WNBA President Lisa Borders, Twitter Chief Operating Officer Anthony Noto, UEFA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, as they discuss the rapid growth of content consumption and distribution, while examining the opportunities and challenges it presents across all aspects of the media industry.
  • Next Generation Content Delivery, Innovation & Monetization – Bleacher Report founder and CEO Dave Finocchio will be among the industry thought leaders and key influencers offering a dynamic look at how content is created for the next generation of sports fans, the immediacy factor associated with the delivery of it, along with the flexibility to deliver content across an ever-growing number of platforms.
  • Players Only – Turner’s “Players Only” team of Chris Webber, Isiah Thomas, Baron Davis and Dennis Scott will share the athlete’s point of view on the accessibility today’s platforms provide the fan and how they can be used to connect directly with audiences in real time.

The Warmup - 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. PT

The Warmup, the weekly NBA pregame show that showcases a blend of NBA, lifestyle, music, culture and social media will be live from Las Vegas. The show –  streamed live on Twitter –  will give fans an all-access pass to CES through the eyes of hosts Ben Lyons, emcee, DJ and sports personality Ro Parrish and comedian Tony Rock, as they test out the latest gadgets and highlight the conversations happening at Sports Business Innovation around sports and technology.

TNT’s Inside the NBA Live from CES - Beginning at 4 p.m. PT

TNT’s award-winning Inside the NBA studio team with host Johnson and analysts Barkley, Smith and O’Neal will be on site at CES.  The popular NBA studio show will be televised live from the Hall D show floor with pre-game coverage beginning at 4 p.m. local time, leading into TNT’s NBA doubleheader.  The iconic team of Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal will continue with halftime and postgame coverage throughout the evening.

About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner, is an industry leader in the delivery of premium sports content across all multimedia screens. Turner Sports’ television coverage includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, ELEAGUE and professional golf, along with the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League beginning in Summer 2018.  The company also manages some of the most popular sports destinations across digital and social platforms including Bleacher Report and its top-rated app, NCAA.com and the critically-acclaimed NCAA March Madness Live suite of products, PGA.com and the Sports Emmy Award-winning PGA Championship LIVE, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile sites and connected device apps.  Turner Sports and the NBA jointly manage NBA Digital, a robust collection of offerings including NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, the NBA App and NBAGLEAGUE.com. Turner Sports has announced plans to launch a premium sports OTT platform in 2018.

About CES
CES is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.

About Consumer Technology Association
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, is the trade association representing the $321 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies - 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands - enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The Consumer Technology Association also owns and produces CES® - the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services.

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