International Media Content Ltd. (IMC) to have exclusive rights for 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Greenfield Media Productions Ltd. (Greenfield Media), the joint venture company formed between GraceKennedy and the Inter Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) in July of this year, has granted exclusive rights to International Media Content Ltd. (IMC) for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 ISSA/FLOW Manning and Dacosta Cup Football Competitions. IMC is the parent company of Digicel SportsMax.

Steven Whittingham, Managing Director of GK Capital Management, (the arm of GraceKennedy overseeing the joint venture), explained that Greenfield Media led a very transparent process which included consultation with the local media market and concluded with a limited tender process which resulted in formal interest from five entities. “At the end of the selection process, IMC was awarded the rights for television and internet streaming,” he said, adding, “We haven’t yet made a decision on the radio rights, which are separate. We are currently in the final stages of discussions with the market and should be able to announce who the radio rights will go to before the end of this week.”

While declining to give details on what IMC will be paying for the three year broadcast rights, Mr Whittingham did confirm that the bidding process was a competitive one, which he said was evidence of the popularity and value of schoolboy football on the Jamaican sporting landscape. He added that discussions on giving exposure to lesser covered sporting disciplines, a stated focus of Greenfield Media, are also ongoing.
Greenfield Media announced in July that it had acquired the media rights for all ISSA’s sporting events by virtue of a long term licence, and that it would manage the sale and distribution of the television, radio and internet rights locally and globally.
“This is the first deal we have done since the joint venture company was formed and we are pleased with how it went. Honesty and integrity are our hallmarks, and so we ensured that all was done fairly and in good order.

We look forward to working with ISSA through Greenfield Media, to develop all sports at the school level,” said Whittingham.