Big Ten Now Selling Media, Digital, Venue Sponsorship Assets From A Single Place

Sponsors are now able to buy Big Ten media, digital and venue sponsorship assets from one place under a new agreement between Learfield, the Big Ten and Big Ten Network. Prior to this agreement, sponsors had to buy conference assets separately from Learfield -- which sells for eight conference schools -- and BTN, a joint venture between the conference and Fox, which owns a majority stake. The integrated packages include print and radio inventory, venue signage, hospitality, digital and social media and on-site promotion. BTN President Mark Silverman said that since sponsorships started being sold this summer, brands including Gatorade, Shell, State Farm and T-Mobile have all bought seven-figure packages around conference events. Those primarily include the football championship game and basketball tournament. Learfield will still be working with the Big Ten, but under the aegis of BTN VP/Sales Jim Reeder.