Nebraska Athletics are set to have their multimedia rights run by a third entity over a three-year period.
Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts confirmed Monday afternoon that the university and JMI Sports are entering into a long-term deal. Sources tell KLIN the deal carries a guarantee of $200 million over 12 years. That number equates to more than $16.6 million a year.
“Nebraska Athletics moved our multi-media rights and radio network operation in-house last year, and the venture has been successful due to the hard work and dedication of our Huskers Athletics Partners and Huskers Radio Network teams,” Alberts said in a statement. “The decision to keep our multi-media rights in-house allowed for the opportunity to thoughtfully evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of an internal program while multimedia rights companies reset themselves for a post-pandemic marketplace.
“After thoughtful consideration and feedback, we believe the best model is for Husker Athletics to return its MMR rights to an industry expert.”
JMI is based in San Diego. Despite having numerous collegiate partners listed on its website, JMI’s only schools with full partnerships are Kentucky and Pitt. Partial properties include Notre Dame and Clemson.
Nebraska brought the rights in house last year after 15 years with Learfield IMG College. That deal was worth $72 million over the past six years.
The Nebraska Board of Regents will consider the deal in April. If approved the agreement would begin July 1, 2022.
“We are confident this potential agreement would ensure Husker Athletics is positioned for success in a changing collegiate athletics landscape,” Alberts said.