New Entity 'Crown Properties Collection' to
Manage
Global Partnerships Portfolio for Premier Assets
Including
Sphere, MSG Entertainment's Venues and Live
Entertainment Properties, and
MSG Sports' Professional
Sports Teams
Jay Voelker to Lead New Entity as
President
LOS
ANGELES and NEW
YORK, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a
groundbreaking move that will establish the first global
partnership company of its kind, Madison Square Garden
Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: MSGE) ("MSG Entertainment") and Sphere
Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR), (together "the MSG family of
companies"), and Oak View Group ("OVG"), today announced the
founding of Crown Properties Collection ("CPC"). CPC is a
new entity that will, in conjunction with MSG Entertainment and
Sphere Entertainment Co., manage marquee partnerships with sports
and entertainment brands and venues worldwide. This innovative
endeavor brings together the MSG family of companies – a world
leader in live entertainment and sports – and OVG – the leading
full-service live entertainment and hospitality group in the world
and the largest developer of sports and entertainment venues. With
this announcement, industry veteran Jay
Voelker will join OVG as president to lead CPC.
Oak View Group, MSG Entertainment and
Sphere Entertainment today announced the founding of Crown
Properties Collection.
The OVG-led entity will represent the most important brand
assets in the sports and live entertainment industry. In addition
to being founding partners, MSG Entertainment and Sphere
Entertainment will also serve as CPC's first clients, with CPC
overseeing the global partnership and sponsorship representation of
all brands and properties across the MSG family of companies,
including Sphere (which opens in Las
Vegas on September 29),
Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, The
Chicago Theatre, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, MSG Networks,
the Radio City Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular.
Global partnership sales and strategy will be managed by CPC, while
the MSG family of companies will provide expertise and advisory
services to CPC, as well as retain partnership activation and
fulfillment – leveraging the companies' well-established track
record in successfully developing and executing unique partnerships
with the world's leading brands.
"Crown Properties Collection's purpose is to provide
unprecedented global representation for world-renowned sports and
entertainment brands and venues, and there is no greater portfolio
to begin with than the MSG family of companies' world-class assets.
I am honored to join OVG, the leading full service live
entertainment and hospitality company to represent CPC and create a
new model for global partnerships in our industry," said
Jay Voelker.
"The alliance of our two global powerhouses through Crown
Properties Collection will revolutionize the partnership space
across the sports and entertainment industries," said
David Hopkinson, President
and Chief Operating Officer of MSG Sports, who oversees global
marketing partnerships across the MSG family of companies. "We're
honored that our iconic brands will be the first to be represented
by CPC and that, together, we will be on the forefront of creating
game-changing opportunities for our venues, teams, and brands."
"Under Jay's leadership, Crown Properties Collection will
represent only the most valuable properties in all of sports and
entertainment together with the most revolutionary venue in the
world, Sphere in Las Vegas. This,
along with OVG's already industry-leading Global Partnerships
platform, which has proudly sold $4.5B in partnerships over the last five years,
will create the largest partnership of its kind in the live
industry and change the game for partnerships as we know it," said
Tim Leiweke, chairman and CEO
of OVG.
Before joining the company, Voelker served as senior vice
president of business development for the PGA TOUR where he oversaw
the TOUR's global sponsorship business. Voelker will report
directly to Leiweke and assume his new role effectively
immediately.
Artwork is available for download, here.
About Madison Square Garden Entertainment
Corp.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG
Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment, delivering
unforgettable experiences while forging deep connections with
diverse and passionate audiences. The Company's portfolio includes
a collection of world-renowned venues – New York's Madison Square Garden, The Theater
at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and Beacon
Theatre; and The Chicago Theatre – that showcase a broad array of
sporting events, concerts, family shows, and special events for
millions of guests annually. In addition, the Company features the
original production, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the
Radio City Rockettes, which has been a holiday tradition for 89
years. More information is available at
www.msgentertainment.com.
About Sphere Entertainment Co.
Sphere
Entertainment Co. is a premier live entertainment and media
company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation
entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to
redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue is
currently under construction in Las
Vegas. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which
operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG
Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and
authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of
live sports content and other programming. More information is
available at sphereentertainmentco.com.
About Oak View Group (OVG)
Oak View Group (OVG) is a
global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving
Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on being a positive disruption
to business as usual in the sports, live entertainment, and
hospitality industries and currently has eight divisions across
five global offices (Los Angeles,
New York, London, Philadelphia, and Toronto). OVG is world-renowned as the leading
full service live entertainment and hospitality group, with 11
major new arenas either open or under development including:
Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center; UBS Arena in Belmont Park,
NY; Moody Center in Austin, TX;
Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs,
CA; and CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD; as well as arena
development projects for Co-op Live in Manchester, UK; Anhembi Arena in São
Paulo, Brazil;
FirstOntario Centre Arena in Hamilton, ON; a New Arena and entertainment
district in Las Vegas, NV; a New
Arena in Cardiff, Wales; and
Vienna, Austria. OVG360 is a full-service venue management,
hospitality solutions and venue services company servicing more
than 400 arenas, stadiums, performing arts centers, culture
institutions and convention centers world-wide. More information
at OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG
on Facebook, Instagram, X,
and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
For Oak View Group: Larry Solters / solters@solters.com &
Sam Threadgill /
sthreadgill@solters.com
For the MSG family of companies: Mikyl
Cordova / mikyl.cordova@msg.com
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SOURCE Oak View Group