■ The Learfield-IMG College merger taking longer than anticipated to consummate. Some would say it already has taken longer than expected, but sources at the Final Four said the questions coming from the Department of Justice are far deeper and more detailed than previous queries and many of the marketing and media agencies that work in the college space are being interviewed. The DOJ is in what it calls the “second request” phase of the review, during which it takes a deeper dive into the marketplace to determine how the merger might affect competition. This is obviously not a rubber-stamp process.
■ Notre Dame finally doing a deal with a multimedia rights agency. Many industry experts like JMI Sports as the frontrunner, possibly in concert with Legends. The Irish began this process in October 2016 and have blown through every deadline the school has set, but JMI seems to fit Notre Dame’s desire for a more personalized approach because it has only a handful of clients — Clemson, Georgia and Kentucky at the highest level.
■ A sponsor, an agency or both creating an esports competition tied to one of the big events in the college space, the Final Four or the College Football Playoff. The event wouldn’t have to be affiliated with the NCAA or CFP, and there’s nothing stopping an independent group from staging an esports event offering cash prizes to college teams in the same market as the CFP championship or Final Four.
■ Lowe's taking a hard look at its NCAA corporate partnership when it ends next year. The home-improvement retailer made big news recently by pulling back on its Jimmie Johnson sponsorship in NASCAR, and other big spends are getting the same inspection, sources said. If Lowe’s exits the NCAA deal — it’s about $15 million to $20 million annually — a big question is what happens to Werner Ladders, which has NCAA status as a pass-through from Lowe’s. Werner has one of the more unique positions in college basketball as the official ladder that’s used when the champions cut down the nets.
■ CSMG, the agency founded by Michael Schreck and Ray Katz, is beginning to gain traction in the college space by working with undervalued and under-represented properties across Division I and II. It’s in the marketplace looking for a presenting sponsor for baseball’s Golden Spikes Award, while also aggregating and selling the rights to nearly 20 conference basketball tournaments. The agency last year represented the Colonial Athletic Association in its media rights negotiations, which resulted in a deal with CBS Sports Network.
— Michael Smith
