Bonn, Germany - Universal Sports, a multiplatform destination for amateur sports programming throughout the year which is co-owned by NBC Universal and InterMedia Partners, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced today an agreement to provide the first-ever multiplatform broadcast coverage of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, presented by GE in the United States.

The groundbreaking broadcast will premiere on 6 September on UniversalSports.com and 8 October on Universal Sports TV, followed by a special presentation of the events on NBC 18 October.  

Universal Sports TV broadcast of the 2008 Paralympic Games will start on 8 October, followed by at least seven days of three hour segments of coverage. The Paralympic Games will be available in the United States from 6 to 17 September with daily live and delayed highlight shows on UniversalSports.com. Daily video highlights will also be available at the official site of the US Paralympic Team.  Beginning in 2009, the US Olympic Network will re-air portions of the 2008 Paralympic Games.

Broadcast presenting title sponsor GE and associate sponsor VISA will provide branded promotions during the Paralympic Games with integrated media placements on Universal Sports TV and their website.

The Paralympic Games are an elite sporting event for accomplished athletic champions spanning five different disability groups. Emphasizing the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, the Paralympic Games showcase participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability in a variety of competitions including Athletics, Swimming, Equestrian, Wheelchair Basketball, plus many more. In Beijing, a total of 4,000 athletes from around 150 countries will be competing in 20 sports.

“Bringing the 2008 Paralympic Games to the United States is a significant milestone in our mission to celebrate the athletes and competitions that truly exemplify the human spirit,” said Claude Ruibal, CEO of Universal Sports. “Universal Sports is committed to be the home of Olympic and Paralympic sports and give sports enthusiasts’ exciting television programming, complemented by a unique online environment that brings athletes together.”

Said IPC President Sir Philip Craven: “We at the International Paralympic Committee welcome this opportunity to expand our audience in the United States, and show what a magnificent event this will be. The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games are hitting a number of milestones and the broadcasting with Universal Sports will most certainly bring in more Paralympic enthusiasts.”

Coverage of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games on Universal Sports will be hosted by longtime Olympic play-by-play commentator Al Trautwig. Along with daily news and updates online, Universal Sports will be showcasing a special original athlete profile series.

For current Universal Sports scheduling information for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, please visit UniversalSports.com.

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Notes to the Editor:

About Universal Sports (Formerly WCSN):

Universal Sports, formerly World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is NBC’s multiplatform destination for Olympic and lifestyle sports programming. Universal Sports delivers an immersive experience via exclusive live and on-demand coverage of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials as well as world-class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in-depth access to sports news and information year round.
 
Offering over 1,000 live events, with more than 7,000 hours of annual original event programming including an excess of 5,000 hours of archival programming, Universal Sports delivers the content sports fans want whenever, wherever they are. Whether in front of the television, online, on a mobile device or listening to satellite radio, Universal Sports provides fans comprehensive coverage of more than 60 sports disciplines. Currently Universal Sports holds exclusive long-term programming agreements across a number of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies including the International Rowing Federation (FISA), International Swimming Federation (FINA), International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), International Ski Federation (FIS), the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
 
Major championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports ranges from Track and Field, Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling, to Volleyball, Karate and Taekwondo. Along with event coverage, Universal Sports gives fans a complete value-added content offering, allowing them to interact with their favorite world-class champions, as well as become familiar with up-and-coming athletes through the site’s blogs and interviews. For more information, please visit www.UniversalSports.com.

About NBC Universal:

NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.

NBC Universal Sports & Olympics presents viewers with a lineup of prestigious sports properties. As America's Olympic Network, NBC will bring television's most powerful property to hundreds of millions of viewers through 2012, including the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the 2012 London Games. In September 2006, NBC kicked off "NBC Sunday Night Football," the premier primetime game of the week. The unprecedented six-year NFL deal, which includes innovative flexible scheduling, continues through the 2011 season with Super Bowls in 2009 and 2012. NBC's associations with the USGA, PGA of America and PGA TOUR were all recently extended: the USGA and PGA of America through 2014 and PGA TOUR through 2012. Under the agreements, NBC Sports more than doubled its golf coverage beginning in 2007 and broadcast premier events such as the U.S. Open, Ryder Cup, The Players Championship, The Presidents Cup and the final three season-ending PGA TOUR Championship Series events featuring The Tour Championship.
 
Other premier NBC Sports properties include Notre Dame football, Wimbledon, the French Open, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. NBC Sports and the NHL entered a revenue sharing partnership in 2004. The network presents regional regular season coverage, Stanley Cup playoff games and primetime coverage of Games 3-7 of the Stanley Cup Final. In February 2004, NBC Sports announced the breakthrough AST, a five-month pro tour of action sports.


About the International Paralympic Committee:

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organization formed and run by 162 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.

For further information, please contact Steffi Klein, IPC Media and Communications Senior Manager, on e-mail: steffi.klein@paralympic.org or T.K. Gore, Universal Sports, on e-mail: tkgore@wcsn.com or Bret Ingraham, mPRm Public Relations on e-mail: bingraham@mprm.com