IMG College, KSL NewsRadio ink partnership

IMG College, KSL NewsRadio ink partnership for BYU radio broadcasts

PROVO, Utah – IMG College and KSL NewsRadio have entered into a multimedia partnership for the rights to BYU Athletics radio broadcasts and coaches’ shows, it was announced today.



Under the new partnership, IMG College will now manage BYU football and basketball game broadcasts and will serve as the sales and marketing representative for the broadcasts. BYU football and basketball games, which will continue to air on KSL NewsRadio and stream at KSL.com, will now also be available to fans on BYUcougars.com.



IMG College has represented BYU in managing its arena, stadium and facility sponsorship assets, and has published the Cougars’ gameday publications since 2006. KSL NewsRadio has held the radio rights to the BYU broadcasts since the mid-1950s. Greg Wrubell will remain as the radio “Voice of the Cougars” and will also support IMG College in its sales and marketing efforts for BYU Athletics.



“I’m excited to join the Cougar IMG Sports Network team and continue to serve as the radio ‘Voice of the Cougars,’” Wrubell said. “Being associated with BYU Athletics is an honor, and it’s a privilege to bring the excitement of BYU football and basketball games to the loyal Cougar Nation listeners. The 2013-14 season can’t get here soon enough.”



“KSL NewsRadio is very pleased to form this new partnership with IMG College, which has a well-deserved reputation as the nation’s leading collegiate marketing and media company,” said Stephanie Palmer, Director of Sales, KSL Radio Group.



IMG College represents the multimedia rights for more than 90 collegiate institutions across the country and operates the nation’s largest independent sports radio network.



“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to enhance the BYU/IMG assets for all our corporate partners with the addition of the university’s football and basketball radio broadcasting rights,” said Casey Stauffer, Cougar IMG Sports Network General Manager. “This partnership will make it easier for sponsors to address all their media needs pertaining to BYU Athletics and will help the Athletic Department maximize sponsorship revenue.”



About IMG College

IMG College is the nation’s leading collegiate multimedia, marketing and licensing/brand management company, representing more than 200 of the nation’s top collegiate properties, including the NCAA and its 89 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences and many of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. Headquartered in Winston Salem, N.C., IMG College connects brands with the largest and most demographically attractive fan base in sports through partnership opportunities in multimedia rights, sponsorship sales, licensing, marketing, ticketing, seating, fundraising, premium events and hospitality, stadium and arena development, and consulting. IMG College produces nearly 31,000 hours of radio programming on the largest independent sports radio network in the country, manages nearly 5,000 hours of local television programming, and is the leading publisher of college sports publications and the largest manager of university athletic websites. IMG College is a division of IMG Worldwide, a global sports, fashion and media business.

Not sure what all this means, but having games available on byucougars.com and maximizing sponsorship revenue are the things that jumped out at me.

Exactly. I don't think the average fan living in Utah will notice much difference, things will still be on KSL, Greg Wrubell will still be the voice of the Cougars, but hopefully this will help open up access for more fans outside of the state.



It also seems to be putting a little more distance between BYU and the other in-state sports media, which goes out of their way to discredit and belittle BYU as often as they can.