LOS ANGELES (Feb. 27, 2012) – Fox Sports’ Home Team Sports division and Learfield Sports announced today a new, strategic partnership and sales alliance that will provide Home Team Sports (HTS) and Big Ten Network (BTN) the opportunity to represent Learfield Sports’ inventory assets from its seven Big Ten Conference member institutions – Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin.
This move ushers in a brand-new level of involvement between a collegiate rights holder and a conference media network entity. Learfield Sports not only oversees the respective rights for seven Big Ten member schools, but it also manages the sponsorship rights and develops corporate partnerships for the Big Ten Conference. With 40 years in the collegiate multimedia rights arena, Learfield Sports represents more than 50 institutions, conferences and associations. HTS represents all Fox Regional Networks as well as BTN, which has been a force in the media landscape since inception in 2006.
“We’re certainly pleased to unveil what we consider to be a unique pairing of two exceptional organizations and look forward to taking it into the marketplace,” said Kyle Sherman, executive vice president for Home Team Sports.
“We all recognize our industry has evolved significantly, and it continues to do so at a rapid pace,” said Learfield’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Andy Rawlings. “We have to stay ahead of the curve and provide Corporate America with the best advantages and activation opportunities, which we are able to accomplish with this model and great partner in HTS.”
Home Team Sports (HTS) is a sales unit of FOX Sports that offers advertisers one-stop shopping for TV and digital media sponsorship of every MLB, NBA, and NHL home team in the US, reaching 90+ million homes with its platforms. HTS also has exclusive regional media in major college conferences including Big Ten, Conference USA, SEC, Pac 12, MWAC, ACC, Big 12, and the Big East.
HTS is a complete sports solution featuring branded-content platforms, commercial and program production, events, and custom brand integration in live local sports. All opportunities are available on a local, regional, or national scale. HTS representation includes FOX Sports Networks (FSN), Comcast Sports Net, ROOT SPORTS, YES, NESN, MASN, others.
Learfield Sports, an operating unit of Learfield Communications, Inc., also titles the acclaimed Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup and provides exclusive sports programming to more than 1,000 radio stations nationwide. Learfield Sports’ programming also is seen on more than 160 local television stations, cable systems and Regional Sports Networks. For additional information about the company’s history and complete collegiate portfolio, visit www.learfieldsports.com.