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FremantleMedia Enterprises, @radical.media and the Mark Gordon Company Put a New Spin on Table Tennis With the Introduction of the 2009 Hardbat Classic Presented by Bud Light

Posted on: Monday, 27 April 2009, 05:01 CDT

The Venetian Las Vegas Joins as Hotel and Venue Sponsor; ESPN Telecast Scheduled For September

NEW YORK, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Three global leaders in entertainment, FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), @radical.media and the Mark Gordon Company, today announced the creation of the Hardbat Classic, a revolutionary one-of-a-kind table tennis tournament and lifestyle event, bringing together thousands of professional competitors, amateur players and everyday enthusiasts for the largest table tennis competition ever assembled in the U.S. The Venetian Las Vegas will play host to the inaugural Hardbat Classic tournament, a three-day event, June 26 - 28, and leading sports marketer, Anheuser-Busch has signed on as presenting sponsor with its best-selling Bud Light brand, hosting events around the country over the next three months. An ESPN telecast is scheduled for September 2009.

Hardbat Classic combines the best in live events, television entertainment and brand engagement through apparel, equipment, and games. The result is a 360-degree branded table tennis entertainment experience inclusive of playing, watching, supporting, and connecting via licensed brand extensions and innovative promotional marketing partnerships.

The joint venture marks the first lifestyle brand initiative between FremantleMedia, a leader in TV show brand development through its own shows American Idol on Fox, The Price Is Right on CBS, and America's Got Talent on NBC; @radical.media, the global media production and distribution company behind award-winning programs such as Iconoclasts and the pilot episode of Mad Men; and the Mark Gordon Company, producer of feature films, including Saving Private Ryan, the upcoming 2012 and hit shows like Grey's Anatomy and Criminal Minds.

"We are bringing some of the most recognized brands in the world together to launch our own brand of Hardbat Classic," said Robert Friedman, president of Media & Entertainment, @radical.media. "Table tennis is once again part of the cultural Zeitgeist, and we think this is the time to take the sport out of the basement and launch the largest challenge in the history of the sport."

For the past three months, Bud Light's extensive wholesaler network has hosted local tournaments across the country to help determine the participant field for the 2009 Hardbat Classic in June. Additionally, exhibition events will be held this spring in Los Angeles at the Standard Hotel (June 6) and in New York City this fall (date and location tbd) to generate interest and anticipation for the live tournament and televised event.

"Almost everyone is familiar with the game of table tennis in one form or another and more than 250 million people play for fun or sport globally," said David Ellender, CEO of FME. "We saw a unique opportunity to take that passion and create an unparalleled live sports and entertainment event that would inspire everyday players to rise from underground table tennis pros to mainstream sports stars as they compete while millions of fans watch."

"Most people in America do not realize the competitive intensity that exists in this sport. The players have wildly different personalities that make them memorable characters the audience will connect with throughout their journey to the climactic championship," Mark Gordon said. "We look forward to collaborating with our partners in this exciting new arena."

"Bud Light wants to help put hardbat back at the forefront of the American sporting landscape," said Mike Sundet, director, Bud Light. "Our wholesalers do an amazing job of executing these events at the local level and setting the stage for what we know will be a spirited competition at the Hardbat Classic in June."

Killerspin, the official table tennis equipment partner of the Hardbat Classic, will lead the development and distribution of an exclusive line of table tennis equipment and accessories. Killerspin is America's premier table tennis brand and the world's leading independent producer of table tennis championship events and media.

The one-of-kind initiative will take advantage of the passion and unique characters who play the game in cluttered garages, underground clubs, as well as high-level competitions, and bring them to a world stage via a two-hour special broadcast by official media partner ESPN in September 2009. This special will include lifestyle and documentary segments in addition to competitive play.

@radical.media and Mark Gordon originally conceived Hardbat Classic after witnessing the recent groundswell around the sport. The partners then approached FremantleMedia Enterprises with the opportunity to create the larger Hardbat Classic brand, moving beyond TV to live events, tournaments and merchandise. @radical.media will produce the televised tournament finale on ESPN, and has overseen design, event production, and TV development in collaboration with the Mark Gordon Company and FremantleMedia.

FremantleMedia Enterprises will oversee sponsorship and merchandising, as well as international television distribution.

To learn more about Hardbat Classic visit www.hardbatclassic.com.

ABOUT FREMANTLEMEDIA ENTERPRISES & FREMANTLEMEDIA

FremantleMedia Enterprises is the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, offering a one-stop-shop for all branded entertainment, licensing, distribution and home entertainment. It is a division of FremantleMedia, one of the largest international creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world with leading primetime drama, serial drama, entertainment and factual entertainment programming in over 40 countries worldwide, including the hit US show American Idol. FremantleMedia is a subsidiary of RTL Group, Europe's largest television and radio broadcast company, which 90% is owned by Bertelsmann AG, an integrated media and entertainment company that commands leading positions in the world's media markets. For further information, visit http://www.fremantlemedia.com.

ABOUT @radical.media

@radical.media is a multi-platform integrated entertainment and media company that produces and distributes television, feature films, commercials, digital content and design. @radical.media has produced award-winning projects, including the Academy Award(R)-winning documentary "The Fog of War"; the Grammy Award-winning "Concert for George"; the pilot episode of the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series "Mad Men"; the Emmy-winning "10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America" for the History Channel; the critically acclaimed series "Iconoclasts" for the Sundance Channel; and the recent MTV documentary "Britney: For The Record," among many others.

ABOUT THE MARK GORDON COMPANY

Mark Gordon has over 60 motion pictures to his credit, including the upcoming 2012, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, THE PATRIOT, SPEED and the multi-award winning SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. MGC also currently has five television series on the air including Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice for ABC, Criminal Minds for CBS, Army Wives on Lifetime and Reaper for the CW. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and is the recipient of multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Producers Guild of America awards.

ABOUT ANHEUSER-BUSCH

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 49.2 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired Global Companies list in 2009. Anheuser Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world's largest recyclers of aluminum cans. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

SOURCE FremantleMedia Enterprises

Source: PR Newswire

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