The University of Nebraska announced in March that it would bring its multimedia rights operations in-house after having Learfield IMG College license the properties for the past 15 years. The move made the Huskers one of the few Power Five program to eschew a third-party MMR partnership, which has become, thanks largely to Learfield IMG, the Division I industry standard.
Click here to read the story at sportico.com.
Discussion Questions:
- What is licensing?
- Who is Learfield IMG and what type of service does the company provide for college athletics programs?
- Why do you think colleges partner with Learfield IMG?
- This news story suggests Nebraska leaves a lot of money on the table by working with Learfield. What does that mean?
- Do you think ALL colleges that work with Learfield IMG are leaving money on the table? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Learfield IMG has traditionally tried to keep partnership terms and royalty data private in the past?
- How do you think this leaked information might impact Learfield IMG in the future?
- If you were in a leadership position with a major college or University, would you continue a relationship with Learfield IMG? Why or why not?