Turner Sports

Turner Sports’ year was punctuated by the start of its contract with Major League Baseball, which saw TBS have exclusive telecast rights to the divisional series and one championship in the playoffs.

The NBA felt confident with Turner, having seen the way the company operates Web sites such as NASCAR.com, PGA.com and PGATour.com.

“They understand partnerships,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. “They understand that the NBA brand was going to be paramount. We’re confident that they will treat our brand well.”

Turner’s not just about the MLB and NBA, however. Under the direction of David Levy, it has developed a portfolio that includes big-time events such as the PGA Championship and the British Open, plus a six-race deal with NASCAR.

Turner also has made great strides with its digital offerings, including broadband channels TBS Hot Corner and TNT Overtime. It has plans for a similar offering with NASCAR. Cable and satellite operators appreciate that Turner develops such applications, saying that they help retain subscribers.

“Turner has been a great partner to work with,” said Derek Chang, DirecTV’s executive vice president of strategy and development. Chang cited Turner’s help in launching NASCAR HotPass during the last year.

Turner also is blazing a broadband trail by picking up the rights to niche sports for full-time broadband channels. Last year, it set up USLLive.com for the United Soccer Leagues’ 12-team first division. The division also runs ACCSelect.com, which streams select ACC games, such as lacrosse and baseball games.