NCAA and IMG Announce New Long-Term Partnership

The NCAA and IMG have announced a broad partnership agreement that will center on marketing rights with the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, and will also include extended rights for publishing programs, licensing agreements and assistance with championship ticketing sales.

Under the terms of the 10-year agreement, NCAA and IMG will broaden their relationship in several new areas, including sales representation of the NABC and WBCA programs at various club meetings, awards shows, professional development programs, fantasy camps, marketing symposia and other events throughout the year. In addition, ticket sales to select NCAA championship events will be run by a new operation in Indianapolis that will be managed and staffed by IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions.

The agreement also extends IMG’s current publishing and licensing representation services to the NCAA, making IMG the exclusive licensed publisher and vendor for all NCAA championship game programs, including both print and digital formats, which will continue to cover all 90 NCAA Division I, II and III championships in 23 sports, held at more than 600 sites annually. Through its licensing affiliate, the Collegiate Licensing Company, IMG will continue to manage the NCAA’s trademark licensing program, as well as the equipment supplier program for NCAA championships. This also includes the sale of officially licensed NCAA products, such as NCAA championship basketballs, baseballs, volleyballs and softballs.

“IMG has tremendous reach in the collegiate market and with many of our NCAA member schools,” said Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice-president of championships and alliances. “We’re excited about the opportunities this expanded relationship will bring to the assets we have to offer in the market place to strengthen our current programs and activations.”