Comcast-Spectacor Teams With Disson Skating to Take Figure Skating to New Heights

Comcast-Spectacor Teams With Disson Skating to Take Figure Skating to New Heights

New Partnership to Produce 10 Annual TV Specials on NBC

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast-Spectacor, the Philadelphia- based sports and entertainment firm, is entering into a new partnership with Disson Skating to take figure skating to a whole new level and become the leading producers of televised ice skating shows in the United States and Canada. A major component of the new partnership will be the production of 10 two-hour original ice skating specials on NBC with the first season beginning on Saturday, October 28, 2006, and running through Sunday, January 21, 2007.

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"Steve Disson is an expert on producing top-quality live figure skating entertainment. He has set the standard by uniquely packaging live musical performances with his ice skating spectaculars," said Comcast-Spectacor President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Luukko. "We are very excited to partner with Steve and we look forward to bringing these unique ice shows to entertain the television audience."

The new partnership plans to produce new and exciting programming which will not be limited to ice skating spectaculars. Disson will develop and package innovative and groundbreaking programming in the areas of culture, music, sports and the arts.

Comcast-Spectacor, through its subsidiary Global Spectrum, manages arenas, stadiums and convention centers throughout the United States and Canada. With this new partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor will provide its venues with unique booking opportunities to host the figure skating spectaculars. Disson Skating events will not be limited to Global Spectrum facilities.

As a total entertainment company, Comcast-Spectacor provides Disson Skating with the resources of its entities Global Spectrum, the fastest- growing firm in the public assembly management field; New Era Tickets, a full- service ticketing company; and Front Row Marketing Services, one of the industry's leading experts on selling naming rights, sponsorships and advertising packages. Comcast-Spectacor is part of the Comcast Family of Companies, the largest provider of cable in the U.S.

Disson, a Philadelphia-area native, has become a significant force on the television skating scene, having created and produced more than 120 made-for- TV specials, adding eight more NBC specials to that list in 2005.

In addition to annual shows featuring Olympic gold medalists Brian Boitano and Kristi Yamaguchi, and four-time World Champion Kurt Browning, Disson Skating has also produced numerous skating tribute shows featuring world- renowned musical performers, including Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, Andrea Bocelli, and most recently, Earth, Wind & Fire.

Disson received his first Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2005 for "Scott Hamilton and Friends," which he produced at the Global Spectrum-managed Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, CO.

"Comcast-Spectacor offers us tremendous resources to grow our audiences, creatively reach new customers and increase advertisers and sponsors," said Disson. "Our company has had a long-standing relationship with Comcast- Spectacor in which we've produced nationally televised skating and gymnastics extravaganzas from many of their facilities for the past 15 years. I'm very excited to begin working with Comcast-Spectacor and all of their entities to help create breakthrough television specials for audiences around the world."

Disson, who currently works in Washington, DC, and resides in nearby Bethesda, MD, received his MBA from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in l976. His ties to Philadelphia remain close as his parents continue to live in the Philadelphia area. A sports marketing veteran, Disson has been in the business since l976 and has been recognized as one of the top marketing executives in the country.

Acknowledged by International Figure Skating Magazine as one of the 25 most influential individuals in ice skating for the past seven years, Disson founded his own company - Disson Skating - in 2001.

About Comcast-Spectacor

Comcast-Spectacor is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm which owns the Philadelphia Flyers, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum, Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and ice hockey rinks and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 45 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; and Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company. Comcast-Spectacor also owns the Bowie Baysox, the Delmarva Shorebirds, the Frederick Keys baseball teams, all affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles.

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Source: Comcast-Spectacor

CONTACT: Ike Richman, Vice President, Public Relations of Comcast-
Spectacor +1-215-389-9552

Web site: http://www.comcast.com/

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