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IMG Models

From Alfawiki
International Management Group
Company typeSubsidiary
Founded1960; 66 years ago (1960)
FounderMark McCormack
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
25+ countries
Key people
Ari Emanuel (co-CEO)
Patrick Whitesell (co-CEO)
Number of employees
3,000+
ParentTKO Group Holdings
DivisionsArt + Commerce
College
Events
Fashion
Media - Including Rights, Production & IMG ARENA
Models
Licensing
WebsiteIMG.com

IMG, initially known as International Management Group, is a worldwide enterprise specializing in sports, fashion, events, and media, with its main office located in New York City. The company represents athletes and fashion icons, organizes live events, and is involved in the production and distribution of sports and entertainment content.

History

Established in 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio by attorney Mark McCormack, IMG was a trailblazer in securing athlete endorsement agreements during the television era. Early clients included prominent golfers such as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus. McCormack passed away in 2003.

In 2004, the private equity group Forstmann Little, under the leadership of Theodore J. Forstmann, acquired IMG; Forstmann held the roles of chairman and CEO until his death in 2011.

IMG grew through strategic acquisitions: in 2006, its Media division purchased Tiger Aspect Productions (known for producing Mr. Bean) and Darlow Smithson Productions, which was later sold to Endemol in 2009. That same year, IMG acquired nunet AG, a provider of mobile TV services with clients including Vodafone and Discovery Networks.

In November 2007, IMG bought Host Communications based in Kentucky, merging its sports marketing and broadcasting operations with Collegiate Licensing Company to establish IMG College; meanwhile, the association management segment was renamed IMG Associations.

Originally headquartered at Cleveland’s IMG Center, the company moved its main headquarters to New York City in 2010 while still keeping offices in Cleveland. In that year, IMG also acquired ISP, a multimedia rights holder representing over 50 universities, maintaining ISP’s base in Winston-Salem.

On December 18, 2013, talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) along with Silver Lake Partners purchased IMG for $2.4 billion to create WME-IMG. The combined company was led by co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.

In October 2017, WME-IMG underwent rebranding to become Endeavor; under this new corporate structure, IMG became a subsidiary with Emanuel as CEO and Whitesell serving as executive chairman.

On October 23, 2024, TKO Group announced it would acquire several businesses from Endeavor including IMG—excluding licensing, models, tennis representation, and the full events portfolio—in a $3.25 billion transaction completed on February 28, 2025.

Media

The Media Division of IMG designs and implements multi-platform distribution strategies for federations, associations, and event organizers while partnering with leading global broadcasters and platforms. It delivers approximately 45,000 hours of content annually from more than 200 clients.

Its multimedia offerings encompass production of Channel 4’s coverage of England men’s UEFA Nations League and European Qualifiers matches; Super League rugby broadcasts; CBS’s UEFA Champions League coverage; DP World Tour and Ryder Cup events; as well as the international broadcast feed for the Premier League.

Additionally, IMG produces and distributes Sport 24—a live sports channel targeting airline and cruise line audiences—and EDGEsport, an action sports channel.

In 2012, IMG launched IMG ARENA, a company focused on sports data and technology that serves sectors including betting, media, and professional sports organizations.

Following Endeavor’s acquisition of Mailman Group in 2021, its UK-based digital marketing agency Seven League was integrated into IMG’s Media division.

Trans World Sport—one of IMG’s earliest productions dating back to 1987—continues to be a globally broadcast sports magazine program owned and distributed by IMG.

Archive

IMG's Archive Services oversees the largest sports archive platform worldwide, offering over 500,000 hours of footage that covers more than 120 years, accessible in 4K, 3D, and HR=D quality formats.

Collaborating with upwards of 39 rights holders, IMG handles the digitization, monetization, and promotion of archival materials for leading organizations such as ATP Media, Cricket South Africa, Deutsche Fußball Liga (Bundesliga), PGA European Tour, World Athletics (Diamond League), English Football League (EFL), Euroleague Basketball, Football Federation Australia, Frank Warren Promotions, FIVB, LPGA, Augusta National Inc., FIM, ANFP, Professional Bull Riders (PBR), Premier League Productions, Giro d'Italia, PGA of America (American Ryder Cup matches), Ryder Cup Europe (European matches), KNVB (Eredivisie), Saudi Arabian Football Federation (Saudi Pro League), Scottish Football Association (Scottish Cup), Liga Portugal (Primeira Liga), The Football Association, The R&A, Trans World Sport, UEFA (Champions League and Super Cup), UCI, UFC, USTA (US Open), World's Strongest Man (WSM), WTA, All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon), World Rugby, WPBSA, and World TeamTennis.

Additionally, IMG provides support to brands, agencies, and production studios in obtaining rights and clearances for archival content.

Models

IMG Models is a global modelling agency headquartered in New York City with branch offices located in London, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris, and Sydney. As a subsidiary of International Management Group, the agency merged with William Morris Endeavor in 2013. By 2015, IMG represented more than half of the top-earning supermodels globally. Ivan Bart holds the position of President while Lisa Marie Benson serves as Vice President.

Consulting

The Consulting division at IMG partners with rights holders and brands to develop commercial strategies as well as marketing and sponsorship initiatives. Its stadium and arena group offers dedicated support to leagues and franchises. In Brazil, IMG teamed up with its local affiliate IMM (previously IMX) to assist clients involved in the FIFA 2014 World Cup and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Joint Ventures

To broaden its market reach internationally, IMG engages in joint ventures worldwide. In countries such as Brazil, China, India, and Turkey, collaborations with IMM, CC-TV IMG, Reliance, and Doğuş Group facilitate the development of sports, fashion, and entertainment properties within local markets.

In 2015, IMG entered into a decade-long joint venture with Euroleague Basketball to oversee global media and marketing rights for both the EuroLeague and EuroCup tournaments.

In 2018, IMG co-established Margravine Management (now known as MVE), a digital talent management agency founded alongside influencers Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee to strengthen its footprint in digital media representation.

Events

IMG owns and produces hundreds of international events while also handling their commercial representation.

Art

Association Football

Basketball

Entertainment

Figure Skating

Golf

Motorsports

Rugby League

Running

Strongman

Surfing

Tennis

Triathlon

  • "Escape from Alcatraz" triathlon event

Volleyball

IMG College

In late 2007, IMG expanded by acquiring Host Communications and Collegiate Licensing Company, leading to the creation of IMG College, now known as Learfield. The group further grew in 2010 with the purchase of ISP Sports, headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. IMG College oversees multimedia rights for more than 90 universities, conferences, collegiate organizations, and venues, alongside licensing agreements for upwards of 150 colleges and the College Football Playoff. Additionally, IMG Seating supports over 100 universities, while IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions provides outsourced ticketing services.

Fashion

Licensing

The Licensing Division at IMG oversees trademark licensing agreements for more than 100 intellectual property owners.

eSports

IMG administers commercial rights on behalf of prominent game publishers and tournament organizers, including PGL, DPC WEU Tour, DPC NA Tour, EVO (Japan and Las Vegas), Combo Breaker, CEO, East Coast Throwdown, First Attack, Versus Fighting, UFA, and events hosted by the Global Esports Federation. In April 2022, IMG was appointed as a strategic partner to the Global Esports Federation (GEF), resulting in the establishment of the Commonwealth Esports Championship and further strengthening IMG's presence within the esports sector.

Sport 24

Sport 24 is a round-the-clock live sports television channel operated by IMG, available on numerous international airlines such as AeroMéxico, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. Additionally, it is broadcast on cruise ships including Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, and P&O.

The channel features live coverage from over 40 global federations and competitions like the Premier League, NFL, NBA, UEFA Champions League, ATP World Tour, PGA Tour, European Tour, Euroleague, UEFA European Championship, Olympic Games, and Ryder Cup. Since its launch in February 2012 with operations based at Stockley Park near London Heathrow Airport, Sport 24 introduced Sport 24 Extra in 2016 to provide an extra 150 hours of live programming monthly to accommodate simultaneous events. For airline broadcasting, the channel employs Panasonic’s live satellite television service.

See also

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