UGA signs $92.8 million media rights deal
The University of Georgia has negotiated one of the more lucrative marketing deals in college sports.
International Sports Properties, a marketing company based in North Carolina, will pay the Georgia athletics department $92.8 million over the next eight years for its marketing and media rights, the school announced Wednesday.
In terms of annual average, it is believed to be the biggest such contract in college sports.
“I’m a little shocked at the number,” said University of Central Florida sports business professor Bill Sutton. “I’ve got to give [Georgia] credit for getting it.”
In March, Ohio State signed a $110 million, 10-year marketing and media rights contract with IMG College, which was the richest per-year figure, according to the Knight Commission, an organization concerned with “academic and fiscal integrity in college sports. While the Ohio State contract is greater in total worth — and Nebraska’s (at $112.5 million for 13 years) is even bigger — Georgia’s annual average of $11.6 million is the highest.
ajc.com
6/17/09
Magnolia Tribune
