At a time when international barriers are being routinely broken down, Hillary Mandel is at the forefront of presenting sports programming worldwide. As senior vice president of programming and distribution at IMG Media, Mandel in the past year has been influential in selling Wimbledon’s rights package to the multiple platforms of ESPN and bringing the Rugby World Cup to NBC and network television for the first time. She also had a hand in securing for the ACC its rights deal with ESPN as well as the renewal for Izod IndyCar Series with ESPN.
An IMG employee since 1997, Mandel says her background as both a buyer and seller provides her a wealth of knowledge when brokering negotiations.
“It’s becoming apparently clear that there is a lot of desire for live sports,” said Mandel about the current state of rights fees in the market. “The popularity of the major sports is leaving a large wake for the niche sports.”
— Ryan Baucom
WHAT OTHERSARE SAYING
“Hillary is innovative in seeking solutions that work for all parties. She has the ability to distill very complex issues and work hand in hand to resolve them. She is a very good listener, asks the right questions and then works toward making a deal as opposed to creating barriers that prevent deals from being consummated.”
- John Wildhack, ESPN EVP, programming and acquisitions
