Independent media agency Horizon Media has announced the launch of a new company under its marketing services portfolio: Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E).
The new division will focus on supporting sports and experiential marketing through IP creation and monetization, strategic advisory and consulting, media rights, sponsorship, sales, and experiential strategy and activation.
Horizon’s Scout Sports and Entertainment Division will be merged into Sports & Experiences, as will Horizon’s recently launched metaverse consultancy, Chapter & Verse.
Co-CEOs David Levy, founder of sports consulting and investing firm Back Nine Ventures and former president of Turner Broadcasting System, and Chris Weil, now-former chair & CEO of McCann agency Momentum Worldwide, will lead the new venture.
The pair appears intent on aggressively growing the new company. In a statement, Levy said the HS&E will “be looking at opportunities to deploy available capital for strategic acquisitions to extend these capabilities and accelerate HS&E’s impact for our clients.” He also announced previous Back Nine clients, such as Top Rank Inc., Learfield, “and others” will be coming over with him to HS&E.
Weil added: “What the industry needs most going forward is an agency model that can seamlessly and comprehensively support this approach and serve all of a marketer’s sports and brand experience needs in one place – media rights, sponsorship consulting, sales, the monetization of properties and IP, and more.
“That is precisely what we’ve developed with Horizon Sports & Experiences, and we’ll be aggressively identifying and exploring acquisitions across IP, experiential and other services that align with our vision.”
Head of Scout Michael Neuman will become EVP, as part of the merger.
