Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 15, 2024 19 BLOOMFIELD & WINDSOR LAND FOR SALE 10 - 54+ Acres Keith Kumnick, SIOR 860 616 4019 keith.kumnick@colliers.com Sean Kumnick 860 616 4025 sean.kumnick@colliers.com Development Opportunities For more information contact: DDZ Zoning Multi-family, Office, Schools & More Ideal Location Near Major Employers, Schools & Bradley International Airport Industrial Zoning Manufacturing, Auto, Office, Hotels & More 864 Wethersfield Avenue | Hartford, CT colliers.com/hartford ±44.44 Acres ±10 Acres ±51 Acres BLOOMFIELD BLOOMFIELD WINDSOR WINDSOR Route 189 Route 189 HEADSHOTS HEADSHOTS EVENTS EVENTS WEBSITE/BRANDING IMAGERY WEBSITE/BRANDING IMAGERY TEAM PORTRAITS TEAM PORTRAITS AND MORE! AND MORE! c o n t a c t u s ! brianambrosephoto.com our relationship with CSMG as it related to media rights," D'Antonio said, adding he knew he could trust Schreck to treat the conference well. "It was a unique situation for us to be involved with an upstart entity and know that it would have the focus and the time and the dedication we needed," he said. It was CSMG that helped the Colo- nial conference sign a seven-figure media-rights deal with FloSports, a sports streaming service. The confer- ence also has a "very comprehensive deal with CBS Sports Network," D'Antonio said. While CSMG no longer has the ECC as a client, it has added numerous others, including the Big Sky, East Coast Athletic and Horizon conferences. It added the Division I Atlantic Sun Conference in February. "We've made many pivots along the way," Schreck said. "What started off focused on D2 and D3 quickly became more focused on Division I, because the amount of money wasn't there in D2 and D3." While they began with a focus on traditional sports like basketball, football, baseball, hockey and soccer, they also pivoted to esports. May Madness The esports events — which included a major qualifying tournament at The Ohio State University, held April 12-13 — have helped CSMG continue to grow; it now has satellite offices across the country, each with one or two salespeople, as well as a content production studio in Hawaii. Schreck declined to discuss the company's revenue, saying only that it is "millions of dollars." But he did note that the length of conference contracts keeps income flowing. "It's like a multi-year annuity," he said, "because if we negotiate a five-, six-, or seven-year deal with a TV network, we're compensated for the term of that deal. Right now, we have revenue through that side of the business all the way out to 2030." CSMG has also gotten involved in the name, image and likeness (NIL) side of collegiate sports, which allows athletes to sign promotional contracts while still in school. CSMG has part- nered with Opendorse, the largest software-as-a-service company in NIL, which athletes and schools use to ensure they are in compliance with NCAA rules. CSMG has also helped broker endorsement deals, including one with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese for a few members of the Louisiana State University football team. But its biggest success in NIL has been in esports, Schreck said, including the sponsorship deal with McDonald's. There are other deals in the works, he said, including a pending "linear television" contract to broadcast its esports content. Currently, CSMG's esports competitions are streamed live online via Twitch.tv and YouTube. The company also recently was approved for a $1.4 million invest- ment by Connecticut Innovations, the state's quasi-public venture capital arm. Neither CSMG nor CI would comment on the investment. Schreck says there is "a lot of stuff in the works" that will help CSMG grow. "The nice part about us is that because we live at the intersection of media, sports and technology, there're a lot of different things for us to be looking at," he said. Esports events put on by Collegiate Sports Management Group include a major qualifying tournament at The Ohio State University. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Collegiate Sports Management Group's clients • Colonial Athletic Conference • Big Sky Conference • East Coast Athletic Conference • Horizon Conference • Pacific West Conference • Southern Conference • Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference • Southwest Athletic Conference • Summit League • Western Athletic Conference • Atlantic Sun Conference Source: CSMG

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