60 MINUTES SPORTS Also Takes a Look Inside the Case of Lance Armstrong

            The first edition of 60 MINUTES SPORTS will feature a rare interview with Lionel Messi, the record-breaking soccer player considered by many to be the best of all time.  Bob Simon went to Spain to talk to Messi, an Argentine who plays for FC Barcelona, to interview the man who just broke the 40-year-old record for scoring the most goals in a calendar year.  Messi is only 25 years old.  The profile will be featured on the series premiere of 60 MINUTES SPORTS, a new magazine program from the makers of the iconic CBS News series 60 MINUTES, the originator of the television genre.  The monthly, one-hour 60 MINUTES SPORTS premieres on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT on SHOWTIME and represents the first time original 60 MINUTES content will air on premium television.

            Messi was already being compared to soccer legends like Pele and Diego Maradona and last Sunday scored his 86^th goal of 2012 to break the record set by Germany’s Gerd Muller in 1972.   Messi tells Simon he’s hungry for goals and, given his appetite, more records should fall.  “I always want more. Whether it's a goal or winning in a game  I am never satisfied… I always push my limits. And I always try to get better every day,” says Messi, who has years ahead of him in an already historic career.                                 

            Also on the 60 MINUTES SPORTS premiere will be a Scott Pelley report that looks inside the case against Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team that led to the stripping of the cyclist’s seven Tour de France wins.  

            A third story will be announced closer to the broadcast, which will also feature Lara Logan’s update of her 60 MINUTES story on free solo climber Alex Honnold, who climbs rock walls using only his hands and feet.

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           60 MINUTES SPORTS expands SHOWTIME Sports’ existing lineup of award-winning original programming, which includes INSIDE THE NFL, ALL ACCESS, THE FRANCHISE and live event series SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® and ShoBox: The New Generation. 

           60 MINUTES OF SPORTS is co-executive produced by CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager and 60 MINUTES Executive Editor Bill Owens and SHOWTIME Sports.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. 

About 60 MINUTES

60 MINUTES, the most successful primetime broadcast in television history, began its 45th season on Sept. 30, 2012. The news magazine begun in 1968 is still a hit in 2012. Over the 2011-2012 season, 60 MINUTES continued its dominance as the number-one news program, drawing an average of more than 13 million viewers per week, more than double the audience of its nearest newsmagazine competitor. It has won more Emmy Awards than any other primetime broadcast, including a special Lifetime Achievement Emmy. It has also won virtually every other broadcast journalism award and is the recipient of 18 Peabody awards for excellence in television broadcasting.  60 MINUTES was created by Don Hewitt; Jeff Fager is the program’s executive producer. 60 MINUTES television segments and other content can be viewed online at 60MINUTES.com and 60MinutesOvertime.com.

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Press Contacts:  

60 MINUTES – Kevin Tedesco  212-975-2329  kev@cbsnews.com

SHOWTIME Sports – Chris DeBlasio  212-708-1633  Chris.DeBlasio@Showtime.net