Utah has a new multimedia rights partner.
The school is set to announce a 10-year multimedia rights agreement with JMI Sports beginning July 1, Utah AD Mark Harlan and JMI Sports CEO Erik Judson told me. An official announcement is expected on Wednesday morning. Learfield was Utah's previous MMR rights partner.
“We're blessed to have a rabid fan base that is also accompanied by great corporate support,” Harlan said. “They'll come in here and really help us continue the momentum. Overall, the multimedia rights relationship for University of Utah for many years has been very successful and this is just another step to keep us moving in that direction.”
NIL a key piece of deal
The MMR market has changed significantly within the college landscape in recent years as industry leaders look to incorporate NIL into their existing infrastructure. Harlan and Judson both noted NIL will be a key piece to the partnership.
“What they really were looking for is a partner in helping them navigate everything that's happening in college sports,” Judson said. “Clearly, multimedia rights is at the center of this, but with [NIL] collectives, facility developments and the changing landscape of conference realignment, they really wanted more than just a multimedia rights partner.”
Utah had signed a 10-year agreement with Learfield in 2017. The Utah deal, however, was among those Learfield exited early amid its significant debt restructuring last year. Harlan said the decision to go to JMI from Learfield on the new deal wasn’t one he nor the school took lightly.
“It's really fair for me to say Learfield was a great partner for the University of Utah,” he said. “We did a lot of incredible things together, and the people there are just terrific. It really was a fantastic run. In this case, moving on to JMI during the changes that are going on in our industry -- and certainly going on in realignment -- it just made for us at this time to go with JMI. But it really was a good run with Learfield, and we’re very appreciative.”
