Press Release: Wasserman Partners with U.S. Federations

Wasserman Media Group forms landmark marketing and programming partnerships with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field

Los Angeles, Calif./Colorado Springs, Colo./Indianapolis, Ind., April 9, 2007—Wasserman Media Group (WMG) has entered into long-term exclusive partnerships with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field to represent the trio in the marketplace for sponsorship, events and marketing opportunities, and develop digital platforms to broaden distribution and original programming. Through this first-ever partnership with WMG, these national governing bodies (NGBs) are joining forces to promote their sports, attract commercial partners, and better serve their athletes, coaches and fans with the support of one of the world’s leading sports marketing and media companies.

In partnership with the NGBs, WMG will build and manage individual online community portals for each sport within the company’s new online sports network, Sportnet (www.sportnet.com). These individual NGB portals will be separately programmed with a combination of unique editorial content, live event and on-demand coverage, and will support ecommerce and user-generated content.

“It is a privilege to be in business with three of the leading NGBs in the United States. Through an evolving and fragmented marketplace, this group has joined together with the vision and leadership necessary to take their organizations to this next level,” said Casey Wasserman, Chairman and CEO, WMG. “There is also no better way to establish Sportnet than with the partnership of these NGBs, and WMG looks forward to serving each of their communities.”

WMG plans to leverage its world-class sponsorship sales and marketing platform to strategically offer marketers individual or packaged opportunities with the NGBs, including television broadcasts, online, event signage and hospitality, and promotions. Each national governing body will continue to maintain the relationships with current partners, who will also benefit from the expanded resources being provided.

USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, and USA Track and Field produced nearly 60% of the medals won by the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games, have more than 6,000 retail outlets spread across the country in the form of member clubs, and conduct, sanction, or are affiliated with more than 15,000 events annually. Via WMG, marketers now have an opportunity to connect more substantively with these NGBs and their powerful audiences.

“This approach is a response to the ever changing marketplace of sports today. WMG’s technology, market savvy, and capital investment will help us build something new and provide a comprehensive platform to members, fans, and corporate partners. This combined effort will allow us to create resources that promote our brands, programs, athletes, and events, and serve the passions of those who care about these sports on a daily basis,” said Steve Penny, President, USA Gymnastics.

“We are membership-focused organizations, so we need to ensure that we are providing the community tools that our athletes, coaches, and fans need and expect. This will better provide an environment for fans and athletes to participate in and manage every aspect of their relationship to our sport,” said Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director, USA Swimming. “With WMG we are creating opportunities for viewers to access a much broader array of our events and programs than are available on television.”

“As we evaluated potential partners for this initiative, we recognized that there were many companies that had the resources and ability to meet our needs, but among those companies, WMG stood out. We were impressed with WMG’s entrepreneurial spirit, scope and expertise,” said Craig Masback, CEO, USA Track & Field.

The NGBs' year-long evaluation of new partnership strategies was facilitated by Jack Swarbrick of the law firm Baker & Daniels, an Indianapolis-based consultant to the collegiate and Olympic sports industries.

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