Who Owns IMG Licensing?

IMG Licensing's history begins with the founding of International Management Group (IMG) by Mark McCormack in 1960. McCormack, a lawyer and former amateur golfer, pioneered the concept of professional athlete representation and sports marketing when he signed golfer Arnold Palmer as his first client. McCormack recognized that top athletes had commercial value beyond their prize winnings and could earn significant income through endorsements, appearances, and licensing.

IMG grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s, expanding from golf to tennis, skiing, and other sports. McCormack signed leading athletes including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Bjorn Borg, building IMG into the world's leading sports management agency. The company also expanded into sports event management, television production, and brand licensing, developing a comprehensive sports and entertainment business.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, IMG expanded its brand licensing operations, managing licensing programs for major sports properties, governing bodies, and entertainment brands. The division developed expertise in creating and managing licensing programs that generate royalty revenue from the use of brand names, logos, and intellectual property on consumer products.

Mark McCormack died in May 2003, and IMG was subsequently acquired by Forstmann Little, a private equity firm, for approximately $750 million in 2004. Under Forstmann Little's ownership, IMG continued to expand its sports management and licensing operations.

In 2013, WME (William Morris Endeavor), a leading talent agency backed by Silver Lake Partners, acquired IMG from Forstmann Little for approximately $2.3 billion. The combined company was initially called WME-IMG and brought together WME's talent representation capabilities with IMG's sports management, event production, and brand licensing operations.

In October 2017, WME-IMG was reorganized and rebranded as Endeavor, with IMG continuing as a division of the new entity. Endeavor subsequently acquired the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2016 for approximately $4 billion and merged with WWE in 2023 to form TKO Group Holdings, creating a major combat sports and entertainment company.

Endeavor went public on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2021 under ticker EDR. In March 2025, Silver Lake Partners completed a take-private transaction, acquiring Endeavor for approximately $13 billion and returning the company to private ownership.

IMG Licensing has operated throughout these ownership transitions as the brand licensing and intellectual property management division of the broader IMG and Endeavor organization, managing licensing programs for sports governing bodies, entertainment properties, and lifestyle brands.