Hamburg / 05 April 2006 – The Hamburg-based sports rights marketer SPORTFIVE and the DDB Group Germany communications network are bundling their expertise in an independent agency that will do business as Junipergroup, effective immediately.

Junipergroup develops and realises strategies, concepts and solutions for marketing collaborations and sponsorships in sports, media and entertainment. SPORTFIVE, Europe’s largest sports marketer, will contribute its long years of experience in promoting TV and marketing rights to the joint venture. As one of the world’s largest and most successful advertising agencies, the DDB Group Germany will underscore the new company’s brand image and creative power. Drawing on this combination and the resultant expertise, Junipergroup will provide consulting and support to its customers in all areas of alternative communications.

Philip Cordes, CEO SPORTFIVE: “The DDB Group Germany is an ideal partner for us as a sports rights marketer. Its combination of brand competence and creativity forms the basis for sound, innovative sponsoring concepts and implementations. The Junipergroup will allow us to transfer our sports competency to other sectors from now on. Our customers will experience a marked added value from the resultant synergies.”

DDB Group Germany CEO Tonio Kröger said: “Given the complex conditions that govern positioning and brand management, our new company upholds the respective interests of our customers across all channels of alternative communications. We are pleased to have a strong partner at our side in SPORTFIVE. SPORTFIVE is a pioneer in the field of sponsoring, and will allow us to deliver on our promise of integrated content-rich solutions in the future as well. With Junipergroup, our concepts will attain a whole new significance beyond conventional, above-the-line measures.”

Michael Will (39) has been appointed as Managing Director of Junipergroup. Will has been preparing the company’s launch since November 2005 in his capacity as Vice President Alternative Communications at the DDB Group Germany in Berlin. He is an expert on the national and international media business, having served among other things as Marketing Director of MTV Networks Central Europe and Director Marketing & Sales at VIVA Media AG, and having spent five years working for the ProSieben group. Will began his career in Buena Vista International’s Marketing department.

At SPORTFIVE, Lars Reckwitz, Vice President Marketing, will be in charge of representing his company’s interests in the new joint venture. His counterpart at DDB is Phillip Schilling, Chief Integration Officer at the DDB Group Germany.

Range of Services:

· Research and Consulting: Well-researched topical analysis and brand checks as a basis for making strategic decisions regarding specific sponsorship involvements.

· Drafting: creative activation measures to maximise the equivalent value of a license, unleash the synergies of brand cooperation, ensure the effectiveness of communication measures and thus maximise paying-in to the success of a branded involvement.

· Implementation: Junipergroup provides the full range of services pertaining to the full realisation of a communications measure, including success monitoring and documentation.

References:

The Junipergroup already develops and realizes below-the-line measures for Volkswagen relating to the launch of various models of vehicles, such as the ongoing Easter promotion and the theatre promotions of the New Beetle relating to the movie “Herbie Fully Loaded.” For Real Madrid’s chief sponsor BenQ-Siemens, the company is activating sponsoring measures at all communication levels. For Ferrero On-Pack: retail and event promotion for its kinder division. Other customers include Commerzbank and Bunte magazine.

We will be happy to furnish additional information upon request.

Caroliene Götz
Vice President Corporate Communications
SPORTFIVE GmbH & Co. KG
Tel.: +49 40 376 77-110
Fax: +49 40 376 77-115
E-Mail: caroliene.goetz@sportfive.com

Margit Scheller-Wegener
Chief People and Communication Officer
DDB Group Germany GmbH
Tel.: +49 30 24084-580
Fax.: +49 30 24084-582
E-Mail: Hm.scheller-wegener@de.ddb.comH

SPORTFIVE GmbH & Co. KG
Nagelsweg 33-35
20097 Hamburg
info@sportfive.com
http://www.sportfive.com/