Lat34.com to Webcast Burton Global Open Series Events and the Burton Abominable Snow Jam.

Lat34.com Announces Strategic Partnership with Burton Snowboards 

Premier Snowboarding Competitions Covered in Real Time

Burton Global Open Series Coverage Available for Free on Lat34.com

LOS ANGELES -- Today, Lat34.com announced a partnership with the Burton Global Open Series (BGOS) snowboarding competitions, which will now be available in real time on the broadband network. Viewers can check out the first webcast on January 27 when the Burton European Open halfpipe coverage kicks off live from Laax, Switzerland.

Lat34.com, a joint venture between AOL and Fusion Entertainment, is the only comprehensive and interactive on-demand action sports broadband network. The company's agreement with Burton Snowboards includes a media rights deal covering the Burton Global Open Series events and the Burton Abominable Snow Jam (ASJ). All coverage will be available free of charge to the public on Lat34.com.

"As action sports events continue to generate new fans, Lat34.com is an exciting partner for Burton Snowboards," said Lat34.com CEO Jeff Rowe. "We are thrilled to have a partner that shares our vision about the bright future of action sports. This agreement shows that both Lat34.com and Burton are dedicated to giving competitive snowboarding fans the in-depth content they are seeking and reaching out to new fans of the sport."

"Burton is stoked to work with Lat34.com to bring snowboarding to a larger audience and allow viewers to experience competitions live around the world," says Bryan Johnston, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing for Burton Snowboards. "The Lat34.com new portal access offers high-quality live feeds that will provide better competition viewings than audiences have ever experienced."

The Burton Global Open Series is comprised of some of the world's premier global snowboarding competitions, with thousands of athletes competing in five events in five countries throughout the course of a year. The first BGOS event to be webcast on LAT34 is the European Open, with more BGOS events to follow. The halfpipe competition will be webcast live on Saturday, January 27 at 12 noon - 2:15 p.m. LOCAL SWISS TIME (3:00-5:15 a.m. PT/6:00 a.m.-8:15 a.m ET). For those who miss the early morning webcast, the comp will be available for viewing at any time after that. Also included in the webcast will be video highlights from the entire week. In addition to producing the webcasts, Lat34 will also create television programming based on the US Open and ASJ events for the Fusion TV series.

In addition, Lat34.com will create an interactive hub on the Lat34.com website specific to the BGOS event series. This area will host Burton events' webcasts and additional features including event coverage, event highlights, athlete profiles, athlete blogs, series standings, series schedules and behind the scenes features. Lat34 will chapter and index all Burton Series webcasts, long-form video content and television programs for free on-demand viewing. In addition, all riders participating in the BGOS will be invited to create their own rider homepage on LAT34.com where they can upload video, photos and other info.

About Lat34.com

Lat34 is a 24/7 on-demand action sports broadband network, delivering exclusive video, blogs, user-generated content, social networking, breaking news and in-depth coverage of action sports events wherever they occur. Lat34.com is the first comprehensive interactive network dedicated to action sports, including skate, BMX, FMX, surfing, freeskiing and snowboarding, that provides information on gear, apparel, music, movies and local events. The site creates an interactive experience where fans can connect and upload videos and share their own greatest action sports moments. Named for the company's location in Los Angeles (34 degrees N/118 degrees W), the site was formed through a joint venture with AOL and Fusion Entertainment and is dedicated to bringing the most comprehensive action sports information to the Web.

About Burton Snowboards

In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn. Since then, Burton has fueled the growth of snowboarding worldwide through its groundbreaking product lines, its grassroots efforts to get the sport accepted at resorts and its team of top snowboarders. In 1996, Burton began growing its family of brands to include board sports equipment and apparel brands. Privately held and owned by Jake, Burton's headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with international offices in Innsbruck, Austria and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit www.burton.com.