The merger between IMG College and Learfield has been signed, the companies said today. A name for the merged company has not been announced, but Learfield President & CEO Greg Brown will carry the same titles into his role as leader of the combined business, once the deal clears regulatory approval. The merged entity will be headquartered in Learfield’s Plano, Texas, office. THE DAILY first reported the merger on Sept. 19. The BOD will feature representatives of Learfield, Atairos Group, WME-IMG and Silver Lake. Those individuals have not been named. Atairos is the investment fund that owns Learfield, while Silver Lake is the majority owner of WME-IMG. Financial terms were not released, but each side will have a 50% stake. The two new business partners now move into the regulatory phase of the agreement.
Brown said, “This combination will enable a better, more innovative future for collegiate athletic programs and their fans. By combining, we will be better positioned to champion the success of collegiate athletics in the years ahead through the development of new services and offerings that will provide greater benefits to our clients and brand partners than either company could do alone.” WME-IMG co-CEO Patrick Whitesell said the merger will “deliver greater value for our partner schools through enhanced services in areas including data, ticketing, and retail insight.” Whitesell: “We are confident that together we will better enable our partner institutions to generate much-needed revenue.”
