IMG, Horizon League Form Multimedia Rights Partnership

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Continuing its rapid growth as the leader in college sports marketing, IMG College, a division of IMG Worldwide, today announced it has reached an agreement with the Horizon League for a five-year multimedia rights partnership. The Horizon League, which is entering its 33rd season of operation and headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, is a NCAA Division I athletics conference comprised of 10 public and private institutions of higher learning.

“With the Horizon League brand more recognized than ever, we look forward to this partnership with IMG Worldwide taking us to even greater heights while continuing our emphasis as a values-based conference,” said Jonathan B. LeCrone, Horizon League Commissioner.

Under the terms of the agreement, IMG College will manage and market all rights associated with advertising and sponsorship inventory including title sponsorship, temporary venue signage, game programs, event promotions, and hospitality at Horizon League championship events. IMG College also has the exclusive sales rights for public address announcements, the League’s website, advertising, radio, and TV broadcasts.

“We are excited to represent the Horizon League’s multimedia rights and to kick-off this long-term partnership,” said Ben C. Sutton Jr., President, IMG College. “The Horizon League continues to strive toward being one of the nation’s leading athletics conferences, and we look forward to escalating its reach to the millions of college sports fans across the nation."

IMG College represents multimedia rights at Horizon League partner institution, Valparaiso.

Since its inception in 2007, IMG College has grown to represent the sponsorship or multimedia rights for more than 100 collegiate properties.

The new agreement is effective July 1, 2011.

About IMG College 
IMG College is the leader in capturing consumer devotion to college sports through partnership opportunities in licensing, marketing, events and hospitality, multimedia rights, stadium and arena development, sales, and consulting across local, regional, and national platforms. IMG College partners with the nation’s top collegiate brands, including the NCAA and its 88 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences, and some of the most prestigious universities in the country. IMG College is a division of IMG Worldwide, a global sports, entertainment and media business. For more information, please visit www.imgworld.com.

About the Horizon League
Comprised of 10 public and private institutions of higher learning, with six members in the top 25 television markets in the United States, the Horizon League is a NCAA Division I athletics conference that sponsors 19 intercollegiate championship sports and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The League and its member institutions aspire to teach young people, through athletic competition, the value of learning, service to others and personal responsibility.

The country’s premier non-BCS basketball conference, the Horizon League is one of only seven Division I athletic conferences to have won a NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament game in each of the last seven years, culminating in consecutive runs to the Final Four in 2010 and 2011. For more information on the League and its members, visit www.horizonleague.com.

About IMG 
IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College is the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights. IMG’s Joint Ventures, IMG Reliance, IMX and IMG CCTV, in the emerging markets of India, Brazil and China, offer the company significant long-term growth opportunities. IMG Media is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events and includes long standing associations with the world’s most important sports organizations, leagues, and federations. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models represents the world’s top models and leading designers and IMG Art+Commerce represents the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists. For the past 50 years IMG Clients has been the global leader in talent representation, including over 1,000 elite athletes, coaches, industry executives and prestigious sports organizations across the sports, entertainment, fashion and media industries. IMG Academies is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational facility delivering sports training experiences to more than 12,000 dedicated athletes from approximately 80 countries every year. IMG Consulting connects many of the world’s leading brands with consumers through access to unique sports and entertainment properties. IMG Licensing is considered one of the premier independent licensing companies in the sports, entertainment and media world. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.