IMG (company)

IMG was founded in 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio by Mark McCormack, an American lawyer who spotted the potential for athletes to make large incomes from endorsement in the television age; he signed professional golfers Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus as his first clients who collectively are known as The Big Three.[3] McCormack died in 2003.[4] In 2004 Forstmann Little, led by Theodore J. Forstmann, acquired the company; Forstmann served as chairman and CEO until his death in late 2011.

On June 1, 2006, IMG Media acquired Tiger Aspect Productions, the producer of the British television series Mr. Bean and the company, along with Darlow Smithson Productions (also acquired in 2006) later sold to Endemol in November 2009.[5][6][7]

In 2006, IMG Media acquired nunet AG,[8] a provider of mobile TV services to mobile network operators around the world. Clients of nunet's mobile TV CMS currently include: Vodafone, 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 originally headquartered in downtown Cleveland in a complex built in 1965 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 Formula One racing to professional golfers. Following the acquisition of IMG by Forstmann Little, the headquarters remained in Cleveland, Ohio, for several years until officially relocating to its new parent company's existing offices in New York, in 2010, though the IMG Center is still located on East Ninth Street in Cleveland.

On October 15, 2010, IMG acquired ISP, the multimedia rights holder for more than 50 universities based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As a result of the acquisition, IMG College retained ISP's former headquarters in Winston-Salem.[9]

On December 18, 2013, IMG was acquired by William Morris Endeavor and Silver Lake Partners in a $2.4 billion deal.[10] WME’s Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell serve as co-CEOs with IMG and its more than 3,000 employees worldwide continuing as an independent entity.

IMG distributes over 45,000 hours of content—originating from more than 200 clients and events—to major global broadcasters annually, across all forms of media including TV, audio, fixed media, inflight and closed circuit, broadband and mobile. The company’s multimedia product offering includes production of all Channel 4 Racing broadcasts, Golfing World shows, while IMG also produces and distributes Sport 24,[11] the first ever live global premium 24-hour sports channel for the airline and cruise industries, and EDGEsport, the 24-hour premium action sports channel. It maintains the world’s largest sports archive with more than 250,000 hours of footage and operates joint ventures with UEFA Champions League, Super Cup (clubs), Euros (national teams) (UEFA), Premier League (Premier League Productions), Premier League (Premier League Productions), French Tennis Federation, European Tour (European Tour Productions), Globo TV Sports (Brazilian League Productions), Associated Press (SNTV) and Asian Tour (Asian Tour Media).

IMG Academy is a private educational institution located in Bradenton, Florida, and specializing in sports training. The boarding school offers an Academy program for Pre-K/elementary, middle & high school, and postgraduates, as well as a year-round camp program. The 500-acre campus also serves as the training and competition venue for amateur and professional teams, the host site for a variety of events, and a hub for sports performance research and innovation. Sport programs include: baseball; golf; soccer; tennis; basketball; football; lacrosse; and track & field and cross-country.

IMG Models, a division of IMG Worldwide, is an international model management firm. IMG models has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, London, Milan, Paris, and Sydney. Representing female talent since its inception, as of September 21, 2012, IMG has re-launched its men's division after its dismantling in 2007.[12]

Consulting works with many corporations on marketing and sponsorship programs, and IMG's stadium and arena group works with leagues and franchises throughout the world. In Brazil, it operated heavily in the recent years along with local affiliate IMM (former IMX), serving clients involved with the FIFA 2014 World Cup and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

Speakers book talent for Fortune 500 companies, associations, healthcare organizations, lecture series and colleges and universities throughout the world.[13]

IMG operates joint ventures with four major partners in four key emerging markets—Brazil, China, India, and Turkey. IMM (Brazil, former IMX), CC-TV IMG (China), IMG Reliance (India) later Reliance buyout all stake and made it RISE Worldwide and IMG Dogus (Turkey) all work to develop sports, fashion and entertainment properties in their respective territories.

IMG has also partnered with John and Chris Evert to found the Evert Tennis Academy located in Boca Raton, Florida.

In 2015, IMG and Euroleague Basketball agreed on a 10-year joint venture. Together they will manage the commercial operation, and management of all global rights covering both media and marketing of the EuroLeague (the premier competition for European professional men's basketball clubs) and its 2nd-tier competition, the EuroCup.[14]

In May 2017 it was announced that Etihad Airways would collaborate with IMG Models, on a show called Model Diaries, showcasing models in high fashion as they travel to fashion shows around the world.[15]

In July 2017 IMG lost the R&A contract to run the Open Golf Merchandising Shop, as R&A opted to take the operation in house.

In late 2007, IMG acquired Host Communications and the Collegiate Licensing Company to form IMG College. In 2010 IMG acquired ISP Sports, which was based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[22] Today, IMG represents the multimedia rights for more than 90 universities, conferences, collegiate associations and venues along with the licensing rights to more than 150 colleges and universities as well as the College Football Playoff. Additionally, IMG Seating serves more than 100 universities, and IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions provides outsourced ticketing services to 30 universities nationwide.

• Australian Fashion Week
• Berlin Fashion Week
• New York Fashion Week
• Miami Swim Week, formerly called Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami
• World MasterCard Fashion Week
• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia

Licensing Division works in trademark licensing and currently provides its services to more than 100 Licensors of intellectual property (corporate trademarks, Institutions and non-profits, Automotive companies, Fashion, Lifestyle, Entertainment and Events, Athletes, Legends and personalities).

• SK Gaming
• Cloud9
• Team Dignitas
• Fortitude NA
• Kabum eSports
• Tyler Angi
• Ryan Newbatt

In April 2022, the Global Esports Federation (GEF) announced IMG as their strategic partners and as a result the Commonwealth Esports Championship was formed.[23]

• Novak Djokovic
• Naomi Osaka
• Gaël Monfils
• Li Na
• Kei Nishikori
• Maria Sharapova
• Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
• Venus Williams
• Serena Williams
• Petra Kvitová
• Marta Kostyuk
• Garbiñe Muguruza
• Nick Kyrgios
• Madison Keys
• Laura Robson
• Sara Errani
• Carlos Moya
• David Ferrer
• Monica Seles
• John McEnroe[24]
• Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
• Sabine Lisicki
• Agnieszka Radwańska
• Kevin Anderson
• Jack Sock
• Vasek Pospisil
• Iga Świątek

• IMG Academy
• IMG Models
• Longhorn Network – a TV network (of which IMG College is a partner) that specifically covers athletics and events at the University of Texas at Austin
• Sports agent – a listing of well-known sports agents, categorized by sport

• BFI - Trans World International