• Loading stock data...
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Fox Analyst and Media Entrepreneur Greg Olsen to Speak at Tuned In Get your ticket now!

Wasserman Expands Portfolio with Purchase of The Montag Group

  • The Montag Group boasts many top sports broadcasters, including Jim Nantz and Mike Tirico.
  • Deal comes as demand for on-air talent has spiked as sports streaming options have increased.
Wasserman Montag deal
Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports, Wasserman/Design: Alex Brooks

Wasserman’s extended push to acquire The Montag Group and the firm’s loaded sports broadcast talent roster ended with a sales agreement announced Wednesday. 

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wasserman, founded by Casey Wasserman in 1998, now counts Jim Nantz, Mike Tirico, Scott Van Pelt and other high-profile sports broadcasters among its clients with its latest purchase. 

“We ​​really identified them as the best in this space and if we had a chance to work with them, we were going to do it,” Jason Ranne, executive vice president and COO of talent representation at Wasserman, told Front Office Sports. “They were ready to strongly consider it at the end of last year and we were able to get it across the finish line. … It makes us stronger because it adds an incredibly successful and elite post-career media offering.”

The Montag Group CEO Sandy Montag started his career as an assistant to the late John Madden at IMG and counted the Hall of Fame coach and iconic NFL broadcaster as a client for years. Montag also was an executive producer of “All Madden,” the Fox Sports documentary that debuted on Christmas Day, just days before Madden’s passing last month. 

After 30 years, the super-agent left IMG to form the Montag Group in 2014. Montag told FOS that his talks with Wasserman actually began about the time of his IMG departure, but he decided to build his own firm. 

“There’s been a lot of consolidation [in the agency business] over the last couple of years and I give Casey and Jason a lot of credit for their persistence,” Montag told FOS. “They’ve always checked in with me. During the pandemic, you have a chance to evaluate a lot of things personally and professionally. I think towards the end of 2021, I really just decided that it was the right thing to do, most importantly, for our clients, our company and employees.”

The Montag Group had a partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation to take Roc Nation’s roster of athletes, entertainers, and musical artists to the speaking circuit.

The Montag Group’s affiliation with The Roc Nation will end as part of the acquisition. Montag said they are “going to be operating a speaker’s group through Wasserman.”

With its blue-chip client list, The Montag Group has drawn multiple inquiries from other suitors over the years. The initial talks between Wasserman and Montag included discussion about an alliance or some other collaboration between the two firms before the current deal was worked out, sources told FOS.

The acquisition comes as sports streaming options from existing networks like ESPN and NBC along with Amazon’s push into sports — which includes its exclusive “Thursday Night Football” package launches next NFL season — has created a need for on-air talent. 

“We’ve gotten inbound calls for top talent —  from all the streamers — hunting for athletes that are still playing,” Ranne said. “So, it’s not like we’re not seeing the impact of it and the variety of opportunities [from streaming]. Now, with The Montag Group, we are going to direct those calls to the people who are the best of the best at doing those deals.”

In February 2017, Montag merged with Steve Herz’s IF Management, which focuses on representing news broadcasters. Later in 2017, Maury Gostfrand’s Vision Sports Group merged with Montag Group.

The acquisition, however, won’t include Herz’s IF Management. Herz, who has served as president of The Montag Group for the last five years, will relaunch IF Management as an independent company and the firm will have a strategic partnership with Wasserman. 

In total, 22 The Montag Group employees will join Wasserman. 

Wasserman has $6.5 billion in contracts with more than 800 clients globally in several segments of the sports industry.

Wasserman acquired Paradigm’s North American representation business earlier this year, a move that gave Wasserman more of a foothold in the live music arena. That purchase led the Los Angeles-based firm to launch Wasserman Music in April. Wasserman has  also pushed heavily into Olympic sports, boxing and even representing Peloton instructors. 

The financial details of Wasserman’s purchase of Paradigm’s North American music business were not disclosed. Variety reported that the piece of Paradigm acquired by Wasserman was valued at between $150 million to $200 million in 2020. 

Wasserman’s other major talent-focused acquisitions over the last three-plus years, including:

  • ​​European soccer-focused agencies Key Sports and Top Value. 
  • Hockey agency firms Orr Hockey Group and Acme World Sports. 
  • The hiring of veteran NFL agent Chafie Fields in November 2019
  • Several European basketball acquisitions in Lithuania, Serbia, and Slovenia. 
  • The acquisition of college marketing agency Riddle & Bloom.

“Sandy, Maury, and the entire Montag Group are the perfect complement to leverage our existing sports, music, brands, and properties business units to the mutual benefit of our respective clients,” Wasserman Chairman and CEO Casey Wasserman said in a statement Wednesday. 
RedBird Capital acquired between a 30% and 40% stake in Wasserman in February. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets ready to take the field prior to a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

How Brazil Game Fits Into NFL’s Plans for World Domination

Friday night’s Chiefs-Chargers game in São Paulo is big by design.
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.

Featured Today

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
June 24, 2025

Timberwolves’ 4-Year Ownership Saga Ends As A-Rod, Lore Take Over

The unanimous approval brought a clean end to a long-disputed transaction.
Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
June 25, 2025

Rockets Get $20 Million in Wiggle Room From New VanVleet Deal

VanVleet first signed with the Rockets in 2023.
Sponsored

Trailblazer Cal Calamia Is Racing for ‘Advocacy, Storytelling, and Performance’

The marathoner wants excellence—not just inclusion—to be the goal for non-binary athletes.
April 20, 2025

Max Verstappen Linked to $300M Aston Martin Deal Ahead of Miami GP

Aston Martin is currently seventh in the constructors championship.
March 27, 2025

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions Gets PE Boost

The Hall of Famer’s company gains another prominent backer.
March 20, 2025

High School Sports Power Signs Eight-Figure Rights Deal in First

The deal pays roughly $1 million annually, FOS has learned.
March 20, 2025

Maxx Crosby’s Agent: Edge Rushers Set to Dominate NFL’s Non-QB Market

Maxx Crosby just signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension.