The University of Colorado, CU Athletics and Learfield, the multimedia rights holder for CU athletics, have announced a 10-year extension to their long-time partnership.
CU and Learfield are extending their partnership across four of Learfield’s business lines, including its flagship multimedia rights division; licensed merchandise agency CLC; digital ticket and marketing platform provider Paciolian, and ticketing and seat-backs seller Amplify.
In addition, CU and Learfield are adding a new agreement with Sidearm sports, which supports CUBuffs.com. Previously, the Buffs’ website and mobile app were supported by the Pac-12 Conference.
“Learfield has been a trusted partner of the Colorado Buffaloes for many years, and we are thrilled to extend our relationship with them,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said in a press release. “Our Buffalo Sports Properties team is integral in providing new resources and opportunities to all of our sports, which enables us to provide a world class experience for our student-athletes as we strive to compete for and win championships.”
CU and Learfield have had a partnership for more than a quarter century and this extended agreement will run through 2035. Learfield partners with more than 200 schools, including most Power 5 schools.
Learfield’s Buffalo Sports Properties, the multimedia rights arm of CU athletics since 2001, will continue to be based on the CU campus and work with George and his team.
“Under Rick’s leadership, Colorado has become a highly sought after brand for corporate sponsors and fans alike, and we are proud to extend our partnership with CU across all areas of our business,” Andrew Wheeler, LEARFIELD executive vice president, said in a press release. “We look forward to helping CU Athletics leverage the tremendous buzz currently around the program to deepen sponsor and fan connections while providing thought leadership, unique insight into the Colorado fanbase through our extensive data platforms, and new fan engagement strategies to help further elevate the Buffalos athletics program well into the future.”
Aligning with all five Learfield businesses will allow CU Athletics to maximize revenue growth opportunities through access to data in Learfield’s Fanbase system, which is the largest data platform in college athletics.
