IMG (business)
Encyclopedia
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group is a global sports and media business headquartered in New York City
.
. McCormack was an American
lawyer who spotted the potential for athletes to make large incomes from endorsement in the television age, and signed golfer
Arnold Palmer
as his first client. McCormack died in 2003. In 2004 Forstmann Little led by Theodore J. Forstmann
acquired the company and Mr. Forstmann was chairman and CEO until his death in late 2011.
In 2006, IMG Media acquired nunet AG, a provider of Mobile TV services to Mobile Network Operators globally. Clients of nunet's Mobile TV CMS currently include: Vodafone Global, Proximus, Vodacom, Mobilkom A1. Content distributed currently includes MTV, Fashion TV, Eurosport and Discovery Networks.
In November 2007, IMG acquired Kentucky-based Host Communications, which had multiple business units with services ranging from sports marketing and broadcasting to the management of associations and non-profit organizations. The sports-related businesses were combined with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) to form IMG College, while the association management division was renamed IMG Associations.
IMG was founded and headquartered in Downtown Cleveland
in a 1965-built complex diagonally across the street from Erieview Tower
. When the IMG Center was built, it originally housed the Cuyahoga Saving Bank, which was acquired by Charter One Bank in 1998. In 1997, IMG renovated the Cuyahoga Savings Bank Building and renamed it IMG Center. At street level they have a projection screen showing their businesses, events and clients, with images ranging from F1 racing to professional golfers. Following the acquisition of IMG by Forstmann Little, the headquarters remained in Cleveland for several years until officially relocating to its new parent company's existing offices in New York, in 2010. The firm continues to operate its major U.S. office at the former Cleveland headquarters.
On October 15, 2010, IMG acquired ISP, the Winston-Salem, NC based multimedia rights holder for more than 50 universities. As a result of the acquisition, IMG College retained ISP's former headquarters in Winston-Salem.
IMG is a privately owned company.
IMG is also commercially involved in an average of 11 major sports and cultural events around the world every day; represents the interests of major corporations; is the world's largest non-character licensing firm, and is a literary agency and book packager.
In addition, IMG Artists
is a performing arts management firm; IMG owns and operates Florida-based sports and fitness academies under the name IMG Academies; and IMG Models is a model management firm. IMG Consulting works with many corporations on marketing and sponsorship programs, and IMG's stadium and arena group works with leagues and franchises world wide. The association management division, IMG Associations, provides management and administrative services to trade associations, professional societies and foundations. IMG Speakers books talent for Fortune 500
companies, associations, healthcare organizations, lecture series and colleges and universities throughout the world.
to form IMG College. In 2010 IMG acquired Winston Salem, NC based ISP Sports. All together, IMG College holds the licensing rights to over 150 colleges and universities, 9 collegiate conferences, 15 bowl games and 7 other athletic institutions in the United States
. Additionally, they hold the multimedia marketing rights to the following US schools and institutions:
IMG College also publishes Dave Campbell's Texas Football
, a magazine dedicated to covering all levels of football in Texas and runs its related event, the Toyota Tundra Texas Football Classic
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
History
IMG was founded by Mark McCormackMark McCormack
Mark Hume McCormack was an American lawyer, sports agent for professional athletes and a prolific writer...
. McCormack was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer who spotted the potential for athletes to make large incomes from endorsement in the television age, and signed golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
as his first client. McCormack died in 2003. In 2004 Forstmann Little led by Theodore J. Forstmann
Theodore J. Forstmann
Theodore Joseph "Ted" Forstmann was one of the founding partners of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm, and chairman and CEO of IMG, a global sports and media company. A member of the Republican Party, Forstman was a philanthropist...
acquired the company and Mr. Forstmann was chairman and CEO until his death in late 2011.
In 2006, IMG Media acquired nunet AG, a provider of Mobile TV services to Mobile Network Operators globally. Clients of nunet's Mobile TV CMS currently include: Vodafone Global, Proximus, Vodacom, Mobilkom A1. Content distributed currently includes MTV, Fashion TV, Eurosport and Discovery Networks.
In November 2007, IMG acquired Kentucky-based Host Communications, which had multiple business units with services ranging from sports marketing and broadcasting to the management of associations and non-profit organizations. The sports-related businesses were combined with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) to form IMG College, while the association management division was renamed IMG Associations.
IMG was founded and headquartered in Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
in a 1965-built complex diagonally across the street from Erieview Tower
Erieview Tower
The Erieview Tower is a skyscraper located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The building has 40 stories, rises to a height of 529 ft , and has of office space...
. When the IMG Center was built, it originally housed the Cuyahoga Saving Bank, which was acquired by Charter One Bank in 1998. In 1997, IMG renovated the Cuyahoga Savings Bank Building and renamed it IMG Center. At street level they have a projection screen showing their businesses, events and clients, with images ranging from F1 racing to professional golfers. Following the acquisition of IMG by Forstmann Little, the headquarters remained in Cleveland for several years until officially relocating to its new parent company's existing offices in New York, in 2010. The firm continues to operate its major U.S. office at the former Cleveland headquarters.
On October 15, 2010, IMG acquired ISP, the Winston-Salem, NC based multimedia rights holder for more than 50 universities. As a result of the acquisition, IMG College retained ISP's former headquarters in Winston-Salem.
IMG is a privately owned company.
Today
TWI, IMG's television division, is the largest independent distributor and producer of televised sports, managing a library of more than 150,000 hours. TWI annually produces and distributes 6,500 hours of original programming to more than 200 countries covering 200+ sports, and also has involvement in digital sports and entertainment.IMG is also commercially involved in an average of 11 major sports and cultural events around the world every day; represents the interests of major corporations; is the world's largest non-character licensing firm, and is a literary agency and book packager.
In addition, IMG Artists
IMG Artists
IMG Artists LLC is a top universal performing arts management corporation that was acquired by International Management Group in 1984. Chairman and CEO of IMG, Mark McCormack, bought out Hamlen/Landau, a small, New York based artist-management music agency, founded by Charles Hamlen and Edna...
is a performing arts management firm; IMG owns and operates Florida-based sports and fitness academies under the name IMG Academies; and IMG Models is a model management firm. IMG Consulting works with many corporations on marketing and sponsorship programs, and IMG's stadium and arena group works with leagues and franchises world wide. The association management division, IMG Associations, provides management and administrative services to trade associations, professional societies and foundations. IMG Speakers books talent for Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies, associations, healthcare organizations, lecture series and colleges and universities throughout the world.
Trans World International
Trans World International (TWI) is the event arm of IMG. It is the largest independent producer, packager and distributor of sports programs in the world. TWI produces over 5,000 hours of original programming each year for distribution to more than 200 territories.Programs
- American GladiatorsAmerican GladiatorsAmerican Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...
(with Samuel Goldwyn TelevisionSamuel Goldwyn TelevisionSamuel Goldwyn Television 1 was a U.S. television production/distribution division of The Samuel Goldwyn Company that started in 1979. SGT's best known series was the competition series American Gladiators, which was very successful in first-run syndication for seven seasons and has recently been...
and Four Point Entertainment) - Arab Football Show (Al Mala'eb Al Arabiya)
- ASPAssociation of Surfing ProfessionalsThe Association of Surfing Professionals is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best talent in a variety of progressive formats.- Predecessors to the ASP :...
Tour - Barclays Premier League (with the League and Sky SportsSky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, the venture is officially known as Premier League Productions) - Battle of the Network StarsBattle of the Network StarsBattle of the Network Stars is the name of 19 US television specials featuring competitions among teams of popular television performers representing the three major broadcast networks at that time: ABC, CBS, and NBC.- History :...
- Britain's Strongest ManBritain's Strongest ManBritain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held in the United Kingdom. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man"...
- Escape from AlcatrazEscape from Alcatraz (triathlon)Escape from Alcatraz is the name for two different triathlons held in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The Escape from Alcatraz originated in 1981 as a private club event, beginning in San Francisco and ending in Marin County...
, a TriathlonTriathlonA triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
sport event - FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Futbol MundialFIFA Futbol MundialFIFA Futbol Mundial is a football-related magazine show produced by IMG Sports Media in conjunction with FIFA.The show has been on air since 1994, having been started by former ITV football commentator Gerry Harrison as executive producer. The initial production team was Peter Hutton, Guy Oliver,... - Indian Premier LeagueIndian Premier LeagueThe Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
- Total Rugby (IRBInternational Rugby BoardThe International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
Official Program) - Trans World SportTransworld SportTransworld Sport is a Sports-related television programme produced by Trans World International and shown worldwide on a variety of television channels....
- World's Strongest ManWorld's Strongest ManThe World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
IMG College
In late 2007 IMG acquired Host Communications and the Collegiate Licensing CompanyCollegiate Licensing Company
The Collegiate Licensing Company is an American collegiate trademark licensing and marketing company. Founded in 1981 by Bill Battle in Selma, Alabama, CLC is the largest and oldest collegiate licensing company in the United States and currently provides its services to more than 200 colleges and...
to form IMG College. In 2010 IMG acquired Winston Salem, NC based ISP Sports. All together, IMG College holds the licensing rights to over 150 colleges and universities, 9 collegiate conferences, 15 bowl games and 7 other athletic institutions in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Additionally, they hold the multimedia marketing rights to the following US schools and institutions:
- AT&T Red River RivalryRed River RivalryThe Red River Rivalry, commonly known as the OU-Texas Game or Texas-OU Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Oklahoma Sooners football team of the University of Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns football team of the University of Texas. The series is considered...
- Furman UniversityFurman UniversityFurman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
- Gonzaga UniversityGonzaga BulldogsThe Gonzaga Bulldogs are the athletic teams at Gonzaga University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Gonzaga University is a member of the West Coast Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I...
- Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley ConferenceThe Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
- Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma State CowboysOklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
- Rice UniversityRice OwlsThe Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest.Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic...
- Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
- State Farm Lone Star Showdown
- University of ArizonaArizona Wildcats-Athletic program:The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific-12 Conference Arizona participates in the conference's South Division, along with Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah...
- University of CaliforniaCalifornia Golden BearsThe California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
- University of Central FloridaUCF KnightsThe UCF Knights are the athletics teams of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. All of UCF's varsity sports teams are known as the Knights, with the women's teams sometimes referred to as the "Lady Knights." The Knights, which includes the university's 16 varsity sports teams,...
- University of CincinnatiCincinnati BearcatsThe Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
- University of FloridaFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- University Interscholastic LeagueUniversity Interscholastic LeagueThe University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
- University of KansasKansas JayhawksThe sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
- University of KentuckyKentucky WildcatsThe Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
- University of MichiganMichigan WolverinesThe Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
- University of Nebraska–LincolnNebraska CornhuskersThe Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
- University of OregonOregon DucksThe Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
- University of TennesseeTennessee VolunteersThe Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association college sports teams at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mike Hamilton is the most recent Men's Athletic Director, but resigned on June 7, 2011, and Joan Cronan is the current Women's...
- University of Texas at Austin (including its cable channel Longhorn NetworkLonghorn NetworkThe Longhorn Network is an American regional sports network focusing on sports-related programming for The University of Texas at Austin...
) - Western Kentucky UniversityWestern Kentucky UniversityWestern Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
IMG College also publishes Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Dave Campbell's Texas Football is an annual publication, previewing football teams in the state of Texas.It is unique in that it is the only publication to preview every team in Texas , from the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, through every level of college football, to the roughly 1,400...
, a magazine dedicated to covering all levels of football in Texas and runs its related event, the Toyota Tundra Texas Football Classic
Texas Football Classic
The Texas Football Classic is a high school football event that takes place at the beginning of each football season at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It was started in 1999 by the staff of Dave Campbell's Texas Football, an annual football publication that highlights every high school,...
.
See also
- IMG AcademiesIMG AcademiesIMG Academies is a world-class training facility for athletic, academic and personal development. For more than 30 years, the Academy's training methods have helped youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes improve in sport and life...
- IMG ModelsIMG ModelsIMG Models is one of the major international modeling agencies, currently representing only female models. Its mother office is in New York City, with branches in Paris, London, Milan and Hong Kong. It is a division of New York, NY-based IMG...
- Longhorn NetworkLonghorn NetworkThe Longhorn Network is an American regional sports network focusing on sports-related programming for The University of Texas at Austin...
- a TV network (of which IMG College is a partner) devoted to UT-AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
athletics and events - Sports agentSports agentA sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
- a listing of well known sports agents, categorized by sport