IMG, the international sports marketing agency, will continue to manage the commercial rights of tennis’ prestigious Wimbledon Championships after extending its long-standing partnership with tournament organizers the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).
The “long-term” deal, announced today (December 15), will see IMG continue to distribute Wimbledon’s international broadcast rights, as well as manage its sponsorship portfolio “to maximize engagement, reach, and revenues for the grand slam tournament.”
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Rupert Hampel, executive vice president of Media at IMG, said: “Wimbledon continues to be one of the most eagerly anticipated highlights on the global sporting calendar, loved by audiences of all ages around the world.
“Together, we have achieved a tremendous amount and we are excited to leverage our ever-expanding capabilities, expertise and networks across IMG and Endeavor to continue building on this success.”
The partnership extension builds on a relationship between the pair that has been running for more than 50 years and has seen it most recently secure a multi-year deal with Barclays to replace long-standing sponsor HSBC as the official banking partner of the tournament from 2023.
IMG also brokered international sports broadcaster ESPN’s long-standing rights deal with the AELTC for 12 years through 2035 last year, as well as this year’s multi-year renewal with pay-television operator Sky for rights in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
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By GlobalDataUsama Al-Qassab, marketing and commercial director at the AELTC, said: “The long-established partnership between the AELTC and IMG began more than 50 years ago and continues to go from strength to strength.
“In IMG and the Endeavor Group, we have found partners who understand our organization’s ambition to showcase Wimbledon on a global scale through our media rights and secure quality, long-term commercial opportunities.
“We are delighted to announce today’s extension and look forward to continuing what is one of the longest and most fruitful commercial partnerships in sport in the years to come.”
In October, it was reported Wimbledon chair Ian Hewitt would be sidelined through the election of a new vice chair before next year’s tournament, with AELTC annual general meeting set for this month.
The UK’s Telegraph newspaper said 75-year-old Hewitt would run next year’s grass-court grand slam alongside the new vice-chair, who will then replace him in sole charge at the AELTC after Wimbledon 2023 finishes.
The 2023 Wimbledon Championship is due to run from July 3 to 16.
