NBA All-Star 2008 Pushes AutoTrader.Com to Record Monday Traffic

NBA All-Star 2008 Pushes AutoTrader.Com to Record Monday Traffic

ATLANTA, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace, experienced record site traffic of 959,720 unique visitors and a record 3.8 million vehicle searches Monday, February 19. AutoTrader.com attributes the spike to exposure during the NBA All-Star 2008 in New Orleans.

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"These numbers validate AutoTrader.com's marketing strategy of aligning with high-profile partners to increase site traffic and bring unprecedented value to the auto dealers and individuals who list cars for sale on AutoTrader.com," said AutoTrader.com Vice President of Marketing Clark Wood. "The NBA and TNT are important marketing partners and this spike in traffic proves the value they deliver. Add in AutoTrader.com's other marketing partnerships and initiatives and you can see we've created a marketing program that gets our name brand out there consistently week after week, bringing car buyers to our site in numbers that are unmatched."

AutoTrader.com serves as the presenting partner of the NBA on TNT's Tip-Off show. The partnership includes significant presence during marquee NBA events, including NBA All-Star 2008, which took place last week in New Orleans.

The season-long involvement with the nationally televised NBA pregame show gives AutoTrader.com's brand exposure during the show on TNT as well as TNT HD, the Airport Channel, NBA TV, NBA.com, and other NBA digital assets and Turner Broadcasting properties. In addition to pregame and on-court exposure, AutoTrader.com is a prominent commercial advertiser during NBA telecasts on TNT throughout the season. This is the second year AutoTrader.com has partnered with the NBA on TNT.

"By positioning AutoTrader.com front and center for a season-long partnership, we are able to effectively and efficiently keep our brand name in front of millions of potential customers for months at a time," said Wood. "The spike in traffic created by big events like NBA All-Star 2008 coupled with on-going, season-long exposure is the kind of marketing that leads to long-term brand awareness."

The NBA Tip-Off Show Presented by AutoTrader.com airs regularly throughout the NBA season on Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and is rebroadcast on TNT OverTime on NBA.com.

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location more than 3 million vehicle listings from 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private owners, which provide the largest selection of vehicles attracting more than 13 million qualified buyers each month. Through innovative merchandising products such as multiple photos and comprehensive search functionality, AutoTrader.com unites buyer and seller online -- dramatically improving the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor.

About The NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2007-08 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in 41 languages via a record 202 television partners. The league's worldwide reach is also reflected in the 76 international players from 30 countries and territories on NBA rosters. Domestically, the NBA broadcasted 142 regular-season games on national television last season on ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2, and broke attendance records for the fourth consecutive season.

NBA TV, launched in 1999 as the first 24-hour television channel created and operated by a professional sports league, is distributed to 80 countries. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than five million daily visits. More than 60 percent of the Web site's visitors come from outside the United States.

NBA Cares is the league's community outreach initiative that builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. To date, members of the NBA family -- including teams, current and former players, and the league office -- have contributed 400,000 hours of hands-on volunteer service, raised more than $58 million for charity, and created over 200 places where kids and families can live, learn or play. NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including UNICEF; the Make-a-Wish Foundation; and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

About Turner Sports

Turner Sports, Inc., a Time Warner company, presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports' line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, professional golf, PGATour.com and PGA.com.

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Source: AutoTrader.com

CONTACT: Media, Mark Scott of AutoTrader.com, +1-404-568-7905,
+1-404-435-2047 (cell), mark.scott@autotrader.com; or Kim Mandara of National
Basketball Association, +1-212-407-8086, +1-551-486-3631 (cell),
kmandara@nba.com

Web site:

http://www.autotrader.com/

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