Fox Sports has acquired Impression Sports & Entertainment, a Denver company specializing in college deals that it brought in to help sell Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum naming rights (see related story).
Financial terms were not disclosed. Impression Sports, whose brand name remains intact, is now part of Home Team Sports, Fox’s sales group, which sells television and digital media sponsorships for regional sports networks across the NBA, NHL and MLB.
The assets of Home Team Sports extend to Fox Sports College Properties, which holds multimedia rights for six schools and the Big East Conference. Overall, the merger positions Fox Sports as more of a full-service company in sports marketing with naming-rights expertise.
About a year ago, Home Team Sports, acting on recommendations from mutual acquaintances, hired Impression Sports President Chris Foy to assist in its effort to sell naming rights to the Coliseum.
“I brought Chris into those negotiations because we weren’t making progress and we needed his expertise,” said Kyle Sherman, president of Home Team Sports. “We hit it off when we first met. We shared the same values and philosophies to drive sponsorship value for our clients.”
The relationship between the two agencies grew to the point that principals began discussions on a merger over the past several months, Sherman said. On its own, Impression has brokered the naming-rights deal for Camping World Stadium in Orlando as well as title sponsorship of college bowl games and a jersey sponsor for the MLS Colorado Rapids, among other deals.
Impression Sports, formed six years ago, has four employees in Denver, and the company plans to keep its office there and add sales staff, Foy said. Its current clients include Orlando City SC, which hired the firm to help sell naming rights for its new downtown stadium, which opened in March. Orlando City SC is asking for $4 million to $6 million annually, team officials said.
Home Team Sports officials see their reach growing with Impression Sports to pursue naming-rights deals in the big leagues in addition to what they already do in the college world.
Their competitors include Premier Partnerships, Legends, Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment and Gemini Group.
“Through our relationships with the Fox-owned regional sports networks, we can take advantage of that position and compete with virtually any company in the industry,” Sherman said.
