By Mark Baber
September 29 – A joint IMG/Perform joint bid has won the commercial rights to South American confederation Conmebol’s continental club competitions – the Copa Liberatores, Copa Sudamericana and the Recopa – along with several other tournaments.
The new agreement will start in 2019, running for through to 2022. Global sports management company IMG and digital content specialist Perform have set up a 50/50 joint venture which will include sale of global media rights, sponsorship and licensing, and consultancy on the growth and development of the competitions, including digital strategy.
Conmebol president, Alejandro Domínguez commented on the offer which is worth a guaranteed minimum of $1.4bn (€1.17bn) saying: “This contract represents a huge advance towards our strategic goal of generating more value for the development and growth of South American football. We believed in big, we did things well, and today we achieved a great result, since the guaranteed minimum represents more than double the income of the previous business cycle.”
Perform and IMG’s joint bid won out against three other short-listed bids including those from Synergy Football (a joint venture between the Swiss agencies Infront Sports & Media and Synergy Sport), MP & Silva, and Brazilian agency Sport Promotion.
Ioris Francini, co-President of WME|IMG, said: “We will provide a bespoke and innovative solution, designed to radically enhance the commercial programme and presentation of Conmebol’s club competitions, including the Conmebol Libertadores, Conmebol Sudamericana and Conmebol Recopa, and change the approach towards the core fans and the broader audiences too. This is a very exciting time for South American football.”
The process also marks the first time Conmebol has launched a formal invitation to tender – a process put in place after the confederation’s top executives were embroiled in the FIFA corruption scandal surrounding the distribution of commercial rights.
Simon Denyer, CEO of Perform Group said: “This unique joint venture between ourselves and IMG will ensure that Conmebol will benefit from the combined digital and commercial expertise of the two companies, and we look forward to delivering a world-leading consultancy and commercial strategy for them.”
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