TNT has sold out their commercial slots for the NBA All-Star Game for the third straight year well in advance.

According to Turner Sports Exec VP-Ad Sales Jon Diament, Sunday night's game sold out even earlier than last year's telecast, which at the time was TNT's most lucrative in its 14 years of carrying the game.

"This is the third year in a row we've been in a sold-out position on all three nights, and a lot of that has to do with the caliber of the event," Mr. Diament said. "Advertisers are clamoring for high-profile, live sporting events, and All-Star Weekend is a great environment to roll out new activations."

Diament estimates that between 50% and 75% of All-Star units are sold during the upfront as part of multiyear deals with league sponsors, leaving the remainder for first-timers who buy in scatter as well as a number of activations keyed to the weekend.

Nearly 45% of all NBA viewers are age 35 and under, making them the country's youngest major-league sports constituency, and the audience is by far the most diverse.