ITV

Tag: William Morris Agency

  • NGC prez Howard T Owens to step down in June

    NGC prez Howard T Owens to step down in June

    MUMBAI: The National Geographic Channels US president Howard T Owens has decided to move on from the network post June, 2014.

     

    Owens has been with NGC since late 2011. He was previously a longtime exec at Reveille and an agent at William Morris Agency. During his tenure at NGC he launched the franchise series Wicked Tuna, Brain Games and Ultimate Survival Alaska, among others, and led the move into event productions like SEAL Team Six and The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us. He also introduced original scripted programming to the channels for the first time. Owens also served as president of Nat Geo Wild.

     

    “Howard injected remarkable energy into the National Geographic Channels brand,” said NGC US CEO David Lyle in a press statement. “He has been an invaluable member of our leadership team and we wish him nothing but the best in his future business endeavors.”

     

    “We have truly benefited from Howard’s zeal for bringing audiences innovative programming that underscores the uniqueness and depth of the National Geographic Channels brand,” added Fox Networks Group chairman and CEO Peter Rice. “From a creative and programming perspective, Howard’s work consistently broke new ground, and National Geographic Channels are uniquely positioned for the future as a result of his efforts.”

     

    Owens stated: “As I get ready for my next adventure I can’t help but reflect on what has been an incredible experience for me, both personally and professionally. National Geographic Channels have some of the brightest minds in the television business, and I’m proud of the work we have accomplished together – specifically in defining the National Geographic Channels as a destination for innovative, original and brand-defining creativity. I am deeply grateful to Peter, David and the entire National Geographic family for their collaboration and support, and look forward to working with them in new ways in the future.”

  • IMG Worldwide acquired by WME-Silver Lake for $2.3 bn

    IMG Worldwide acquired by WME-Silver Lake for $2.3 bn

    MUMBAI: The curtains have finally fallen on an acquisition which was in the news for quite some time now. Private investment firm Forstmann Little & Co has agreed to sell global sports, fashion and media business IMG Worldwide to US-based William Morris Endeavour  Entertainment (WME) and its stakeholder Silver Lake Partners at a price tag of around $2.3 billion.

     

    The final bidders CVC Capital and Chernin Entertainment and a consortium of ICM Partners and the Carlyle Group, bid less than $1.8 billion, thus losing out to WME.

     

    WME is a leading US-based entertainment and media company with an unparalleled client list of artists and content creators across film, television, music, literature, theatre and digital media and is led by co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.

     

    It was formed by the 2009 merger of the William Morris Agency and Endeavor. The company has over 1,000 employees and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, with offices in New York, Nashville, London and Miami. Through its partner companies, including award-winning global creative agency Droga5, WME also provides clients with unique advertising, brand integration and marketing opportunities across traditional, social media, mobile and gaming platforms. Amongst the big names it represents figure: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Sandler, Christopher Nolan, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and Seth MacFarlane.

     

    IMG on the other hand has 3,500 employees and tremendous strengths in the sports business – representation, marketing, production and distribution – apart from representing 500 athletes, models and entertainers as clients. Among the names figure: Gisele Bundchen, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake.

     

    IMG owns IMG College, the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights  (it handles marketing and ticketing for 200 collegiate sports properties). It is slated to generate revenue of about $375 million and operating income of $75 million.

     

    The group has joint ventures like IMG Reliance, IMX, IMG CCTV and IMG Dolu in the emerging markets of India, Brazil, China and Turkey. Additionally, IMG Media is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. Its IMG Reliance joint venture promotes the All-India Football Federation.

     

    IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events and includes long standing associations with the world’s most important sports organisations, leagues, and federations. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models represents the world’s top models and leading designers. IMG Art+Commerce represents the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists.

     

    Silver Lake, on the other hand, is a global leader in private investments in technology and technology-enabled industries. The firm has offices in New York, Menlo Park, San Mateo, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo and has approximately $20 billion in combined assets under management. The Silver Lake Partners portfolio includes or has included technology and technology-enabled industry leaders such as Alibaba, Allyes, Ameritrade, Avago, Business Objects, Dell, Flextronics, Gartner, Gerson Lehrman Group, Global Blue, Go Daddy, Instinet, Intelsat, Interactive Data Corporation, MCI, Mercury Payment Systems, MultiPlan, the NASDAQ OMX Group, NetScout, NXP, Sabre, Seagate Technology, Skype, Spreadtrum, SunGard Data Systems, UGS, Vantage Data Centers, Virtu and William Morris Endeavor.

     

    IMG was created by McCormack and golfer Arnold Palmer in 1960. Forstmann Little purchased it a year after McCormack died in 2003, and then Forstmann Little founder Theodore Forstmann died in 2011.

     

    With the acquisition of IMG Worlwide, WME has now leaped ahead of its once larger rival the Creative Artistes Agency.