Clemson Takes Multimedia Rights In-House

Texas and Oklahoma officially joined the SEC on Friday in an attempt to reposition themselves for the future of college sports.

Meanwhile, ACC powerhouse Clemson quietly announced a major move of its own. 

The program decided to take its multimedia rights in-house, according to an SBJ report. The original seven-year, $68 million campus marketing agreement with JMI Sports was supposed to run through 2024.

Clemson isn’t alone: Nebraska, Arizona State, and Stanford have also opted to go in-house. 

Between relaxed transfer rules and the new name, image, and likeness policy, powerhouse programs need ways to convince young athletes why their programs are different — and possibly more lucrative — than others. 

Clemson’s move suggests the school feels it can generate enough profit using in-house resources to justify the initial revenue hit from restructuring the JMI Sports contract.

• The school boasts robust marketing and sales departments. 
• There are two teams dedicated to video and creative services. 
• The football team alone has at least two employees assigned to content creation.

That goes above and beyond what the average D-I department offers, but it remains to be seen if Clemson’s new strategy will fully pay off.