BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 2005--Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP):

• UEFA Appoints Warner Bros. Consumer Products Exclusive Worldwide Licensing Representative for UEFA EURO 2008(TM), UEFA European Under-21 Championships, UEFA Women's European Championships and UEFA European Futsal Championships
• WBCP to Manage Licensing, Retailing and Development of Mascot for UEFA EURO 2008(TM)

Source: Warner Bros. Consumer Products
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Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) announced today that they have signed a long-term strategic licensing agreement with UEFA (Union of European Football Association). The company has been appointed UEFA's exclusive worldwide licensing representative for UEFA EURO 2008(TM). The UEFA European Football Championship will be held in Austria and Switzerland during the summer of 2008. As part of the agreement, WBCP also has the rights to the other competitions, which are part of the UEFA EUROTOP program; these are the UEFA European Under-21 Championships (2006, 2007, 2009); the UEFA Women's European Championships (2009) and the UEFA European Futsal Championships (2007, 2009).

"UEFA have renewed and extended the scope of their relationship with WBCP, so that together we can develop the contribution of licensing to the overall success of our National Team Competitions," said Lars Christer Olsson, CEO of UEFA.

"WBCP is honored to renew and expand the cooperation with UEFA after the success of the initial partnership on UEFA EURO 2004(TM)," said Jordan Sollitto, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and International Licensing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "This agreement is a strong sign of WBCP's commitment to develop football licensing globally."

The scope of this agreement will see WBCP manage the licensing program to develop Official Licensed Products and an expansive retail licensing operation. In addition WBCP will develop the mascot for UEFA EURO 2008(TM), as well as the art programs, which will support the licensing program. WBCP will leverage its global commercial network and creative expertise to maximize the visibility of Official Licensed Products.

The UEFA European Football Championships is held every four years and is the largest European football event, where Europe's top 16 national football teams battle it out on the field for the championship. The key focus for WBCP regarding UEFA EURO 2008(TM) will be a broad creative program, which delivers mass appeal, satisfies various product categories and a wide range of distribution channels.

"Europe is the center of excellence for our football program. In our London office, we have assembled a team of experts dedicated to the business and, based on the growing appetite for European football in international markets, we are really excited about the global opportunities that this agreement brings," added Sollitto.

"The event will provide a global television audience of 7 billion, and therefore WBCP's strategy will be to ensure that licensees, retailers and other partners are provided with strong business propositions early in the program to ensure that football fans around the world can access products in optimal conditions," said Pilar Zulueta, Senior Vice President and General Manager EMEA, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "Creating exciting retail environments will be a key focus area, and we will be using our licensing experience and recent retail programs to develop these environments."

Zulueta added, "This is a major step to establishing a solid base for growing football licensing in Europe, as well as internationally over a long period of time. We are looking forward to developing strong revenue opportunities for our business partners."

"The cooperation between UEFA and WBCP to work together on the major European National Team Competitions is great news for football and its partners. Consumers stand to benefit from a wider selection of products around our events and a more significant retail presence within their respective markets," added Philippe Margraff, COO of UEFA Marketing & Media Management (UMMM).

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About UEFA Marketing & Media Management (UMMM)

UMMM is the commercial division of UEFA, responsible for generating revenue from all professional National Team Competitions and managing the relationships with all associated commercial partners. The events managed by UMMM include UEFA's flagship event -- UEFA EURO 2008(TM) (2008) taking place in Switzerland and Austria, as well as the UEFA Under-21 Championships (2006, 2007, 2009), UEFA Women's Championships (2009) and UEFA Futsal Championships (2007, 2009), all of which fall under the UEFA EUROTOP Program.

Building on the success of UEFA EURO 2004(TM), UMMM introduced the UEFA EUROTOP program as a new marketing concept designed to offer six "Top UEFA Partners" the most comprehensive integrated rights package for UEFA EURO 2008(TM), along with full rights to the other top National Team Competitions managed by UMMM. Global and local sponsorship packages are also available on an event-by-event basis.

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Contact:

     Warner Bros. Consumer Products
     Karine Joret, 818-954-6138
     karine.joret@warnerbros.com
     or
     Weber Shandwick
     Anthony Scammell, 00 44 (0) 207 067 0464
     ascammell@webershandwick.com
     or
     UEFA Media Services
     +41 22 99 44 559