Clemson University has awarded its athletic multimedia rights and campuswide marketing rights to San Diego-based JMI Sports. The deal is worth a total of $68 million over seven years, beginning in June 2017 and running through 2024.
The incumbent, Learfield, has owned at least a portion or a majority of Clemson’s rights since 2001, first as part of a joint deal with ISP Sports and later jointly with IMG College. Fox Sports and Van Wagner also bid for the Tigers property.
Bidders were notified last week that JMI won when the school’s procurement office released an “Intent to Award” letter on its website. JMI’s deal won’t be official until Friday because the school allows a window for bidders to protest the award. That’s what happened earlier this year when Clemson awarded its rights to JMI the first time. Learfield protested last May and the bidding process played out again this fall.
JMI President Tom Stultz, the former IMG College and Host Communications senior executive, led the company’s bid along with Erik Judson, JMI’s CEO. JMI owns college rights at Kentucky, Penn and the Ivy League. It also has a joint venture with IMG College at Georgia.
