Bell announces new partnership with the National Basketball Association

• With the NBA, Raptors and Canada Basketball, Bell is committed to basketball's growth and development at the amateur and professional levels
• Bell to become presenting partner of NBA Canada Series and NBA All-Star Balloting

MONTREAL, Oct. 9, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell Canada today announced a new multi-year strategic partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) that further enhances Bell's position as the official communications partner for basketball in Canada.

"Bell is excited to partner with the National Basketball Association as part of our broad commitment to basketball in Canada, which includes our recently announced partnership with the Raptors, Canada's NBA team, and Bell's support for Canada Basketball and our country's national teams," said Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility and Residential Services, and Chief Brand Officer at Bell. "Bell is taking the lead in driving the growth of one of the most popular and fastest-growing youth participation team sports in Canada."

Official Partner of the NBA
As an Official Partner of the NBA, Bell will leverage its mobile network and services leadership to deliver more for Canadian basketball fans:

• Bell will be the presenting sponsor of the NBA Canada Series pre-season game platform beginning with the upcoming match-up between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics on October 20 at Bell Centre in Montréal.
• Bell customers will be able to watch new weekly NBA content on their smartphones and tablets during both the regular season and in the Playoffs, including player special profiles, rookie features and unique courtside content.
• Bell Mobile TV will feature new nightly NBA highlights from approximately 1,300 NBA games starting at the beginning of the regular season and continuing through the NBA Finals.
• Bell will be the presenting sponsor of the NBA All-Star Balloting platform in Canada, which gives fans the opportunity to vote daily for their favorite players to become starters for the NBA All-Star Game, and will include a contest for two fans to attend 2014 NBA All-Star in New Orleans.

"With their strong commitment to basketball, Bell is an ideal partner to help continue the momentum and grow the game in Canada," said Dan Mackenzie, Vice President and General Manager, NBA Canada. "Through this partnership, we will be able to bring fans more exciting events and programming throughout the season."

The Toronto Raptors
As a Platinum Sponsor of the Raptors, Bell is working with Canada's NBA team on a range of branding, communications and community investment initiatives. In celebration of its partnership with the Raptors, Bell offered fans more than 15,000 complimentary tickets - including 3,200 distributed to community and grassroots basketball associations across the Greater Toronto Area - for the Raptors' first home pre-season game at the Air Canada Centre tonight versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Canada Basketball
Bell is a Premier Sponsor of Canada Basketball, supporting our national men's and women's senior basketball teams as they compete in international competition, including Summer Olympic Games and FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Championships. Canada Basketball is a not-for-profit organization recognized by FIBA and the Government of Canada as the sole governing body of amateur basketball in the country.

"Youth across Canada are playing more basketball in more places than ever before. With Canada Basketball, the Raptors and the NBA as our partners, Bell is enabling the continued growth and development of the sport at every level across Canada," said Loring Phinney, Bell's Vice President of Corporate Marketing.

About Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and business customers with leading TV, Internet, wireless, home phone and business communications solutions. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital media. Bell is wholly owned by Montréal's BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For more information, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.

The Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative is a national charitable program that promotes Canadian mental health across Canada with the Bell Let's Talk Day anti-stigma campaign and significant funding for community care, research and workplace best practices. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

SOURCE: Bell Canada