The example of the Premier League casts a long shadow. Much criticised domestically, it is seen as a business model to emulate across the world.
The example of the Premier League casts a long shadow. Much criticised domestically, it is seen as a business model to emulate across the world.
IMG is a leading global sports, fashion and entertainment agency tentatively valued at $2bn in advance of its possible sale by the private equity group that currently owns it. Its chairman and chief executive, Mike Dolan, told the Financial Times in an interview yesterday that media companies vying for TV rights ‘are all looking to get in early and get in long. They’ve seen what’s happened to the English Premier League.’
The value of live sport is increasing as viewers stack up other shows on their digital recorders and skip adverts when they watch them later. Emerging countries offer a key market. Dolan said, ‘Over 10 years 500m people will move from poverty into the middle class.’ It should be added that what counts as middle class in an emerging African country is rather different from what it means in the UK or US.
IMG is focusing its current efforts on India. Mr Dolan described the football investment it is making there as ‘very attractive on the most conservative assumption you can imagine.’ This might seem surprising when one considers that India is cricket mad. However, although 95 per cent of Indians over 45 name cricket as their favourite sport, the figure drops to 50 per cent among those under 20.
Under a 2010 deal with the All India Football Federation, IMG Reliance acquired all rights to football in India for 15 years. Its football league will launch in January (a professional basketball league is also to be launched).
IMG believes that the way to improve Indian football quickly is to bring in foreign players, coaches and talent scouts. IMG has used its network to target European and west African players and hired western coaches to train promising kids. Globalisation in action.