Claire Atkinson
@ THE OSCARS
Img Worldwide, the sports and modeling talent powerhouse, could end up being an important pawn in the crosstown rivalry between Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor.
Forstmann, Little and Co. is pursuing a sale of IMG, which is a valuable player in the entertainment arena. IMG owns the rights to numerous sports properties such as Wimbledon, and represents top athletes and models including tennis pro Novak Djokovic and supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Sources say they expect Ari Emanuel’s WME, which sold a minority stake to private-equity firm Silver Lake, and CAA, backed by buyout shop TPG, will both swing hard at IMG.
AP
Warner Bros. TV boss Bruce Rosenblum (pictured), who was recently passed over for the Warner Entertainment top spot, has met recently with other studios.
“Ari and [CAA head] Richard
[Lovett] have huge minority owners who will be pushing for this. Lovett is obsessed by sports,” said one source close to the situation. “But these guys won’t be the only ones interested.”
The two talent agencies boast connections that could come into play when IMG hits the auction block.
For instance, IMG board member Irving Azoff is said to be close to Lovett. In addition, Azoff’s son also works as an agent in CAA’s music division.
CAA already has a sports division but the unit has struggled to make money.
Meanwhile, IMG CEO Mike Dolan is close to Joe Ravitch’s investment bank, the Raine Group, which is part owned by WME. CAA declined comment, while WME didn’t respond to a request for comment.
This isn’t to say that there are no obstacles to a sale of IMG.
The sports powerhouse, which is valued at between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, is much less lucrative than TV and film. Sports fees are generally around 4 percent, while Hollywood reps typically get a larger 10 percent cut.
Moreover, IMG will need to renew its rights deals with the likes of Wimbledon because it doesn’t own them, sources say.
IMG, which is in the process of hiring an investment bank to handle the sale, may also find interested parties in Guggenheim Partners and France’s Lagardère, say sources close to the process.
*
Spurned Warner Bros. TV boss Bruce Rosenblum has been making the rounds of rival studios.
Two sources say Rosenblum — who was recently passed over for the top job as CEO of Warner Entertainment — has chatted with Disney chief Bob Iger and NBC Universal’s Steve Burke.
A Warner spokesman said speculation that Rosenblum is shopping himself to other studios is “false,” although Warner hasn’t moved to renew Rosenblum’s contract that expires in August.
Some sources suggest that incoming Warner Entertainment CEO Kevin Tsujihara is already making contingency plans, and that’s why he’s been chatting with CW President Mark Pedowitz. Warner denied talks with Pedowitz.
With Hollywood wondering if Rosenblum will move on, it looks like Sony USA chief Michael Lynton is staying put.
Sources say Lynton — who was also in contention for the top Warner job — has his contract renewal sitting on his desk and will re-up for another year.
Universal Pictures CEO Ron Meyer has also demonstrated remarkable staying power during his long run. But he may be stepping down before his contract is up at the end of 2015.
Meyer will likely get the chairman title, but first his bosses at Comcast, which runs NBCUniversal, must find a successor.
catkinson@nypost.com
Rivals go OMG for IMG in model machination
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Rivals go OMG for IMG in model machination
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Rivals go OMG for IMG in model machination
