SOURCE: IMG

November 12, 2007 09:00 ET

IMG to Acquire Host Communications

National Leader in College Sports Marketing, Association Management and Media Services Joins IMG's Global Sports Portfolio; Bolsters IMG's Growing Collegiate Sports Business

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - November 12, 2007) - IMG, the world's premier sports, entertainment and media company, today announced an agreement to acquire HOST Communications Inc., a national leader in college sports marketing, association management and media services. HOST is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triple Crown Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: TCMI). The agreement is expected to close in mid-November.

Under the agreement, HOST will operate as a division of IMG's College Sports Group, overseen by Pat Battle, Senior Corporate Vice President, IMG College Sports. Tom Stultz will continue to lead the company's college sports marketing and media services business as Senior Vice President & Managing Director, College Sports. Lexington, Kentucky-based HOST has 16 regional offices across the country.

In making the announcement, IMG Chairman and CEO, Ted Forstmann, said, "This is another strategic acquisition for IMG as we continue to expand our presence in collegiate sports and further broaden our capabilities with an established industry leader in collegiate marketing, management and media."

Battle added, "The addition of HOST to the IMG family of sports properties, specifically our College Sports Division, makes our college sports offering truly unrivaled in the industry. Today's announcement firmly establishes IMG as a leader in the dynamic college sports sector, leveraging IMG's global sales, marketing and media expertise to create national, regional, and local sales opportunities and to better optimize opportunities for our collegiate partners."

Stultz stated, "We are excited about merging the long-standing history of HOST in college sports with the resources and innovation of IMG. The combination of HOST and CLC within the IMG College Sports Division creates a huge competitive advantage that allows HOST to maintain its leadership position in the collegiate sports marketing industry while providing a tremendous platform for growth at our existing properties and setting a bold new course for the future."

Leader in Collegiate Marketing and the NCAA

In addition to a 30-year relationship with the NCAA, HOST provides sports marketing services for several top NCAA Division I universities and conferences, including Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Rice, Tennessee, Texas, Western Kentucky and Furman, as well as several athletic conferences, including the Southeastern Conference and the Southern Conference, and the National Football Foundation, the College Football Hall of Fame and the John Wooden Award.

The rights to these schools, conferences, and properties include: corporate sponsorships, radio and television programs, publishing, printing, creative design, marketing, Internet, national advertising and signage sales, and numerous lifestyle and event marketing platforms.

HOST also provides a full-range of management services for five prestigious national and international athletic, business and leisure-oriented organizations including: American Volleyball Coaches, International Coach Federation, National Tour Association, International SPA Association and Quest International Users Group.

"HOST's association partners represent the top professionals in their respective fields and provide a critical link to new developments and new opportunities for future growth both in their industries and for other IMG partners," said Stultz.

Expands IMG's Leadership Position in Collegiate Sports/Complements IMG's Collegiate Sports Division

Earlier this year, IMG announced the acquisition of The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a full-service licensing and marketing company that assists collegiate institutions with a wide array of licensing and administration services.

CLC is the exclusive licensing agency for nearly 200 collegiate properties, including the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), the Rose Bowl, the Heisman Trophy and the NCAA, as well as many of the most recognized colleges and universities across the U.S.

The new IMG College Division will bring together licensing, marketing, multimedia rights and media production in an approach that is not available anywhere else in the college market through the combined resources of IMG.

About HOST Communications

Founded in 1972, HOST Communications Inc. (HOST) creates opportunities for corporations to connect with specific audiences, who ultimately impact their growth and success. Through its unique relationships, HOST ultimately offers platforms that provide companies immediate access to millions of spectators via grassroots events and programs that reach more than 110 million collegiate fans and alumni and 15 million students enrolled in NCAA member institutions, and approximately 500,000 association members. In 2006, HOST received a distinguished accolade from Sports Business Journal, which named the company as one of America's Top Three Sports Marketing Agencies.

While offering significantly diverse services, key Company operating areas include: Collegiate Marketing, Association Management, Publishing, Radio and Television. Within these respective capabilities, HOST employees are focused on delivering unequaled results for a specific customer base.

About IMG

IMG is the world's premier sports, entertainment and media enterprise.

Operating in 30 countries, IMG's diverse businesses include: consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; licensing; golf course design; and client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, speakers, European football, rugby, cricket, motor sports, coaching, Olympic sports and action sports. IMG Academies are the world's largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational facilities, delivering world-class sports training experiences to more than 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult, and professional athletes each year.

IMG's media and entertainment operations include content production subsidiaries Darlow Smithson Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions and Tigress. Globally, IMG produces and distributes more than 11,000 hours of sports, documentary, drama, comedy, entertainment, popular factual and children's content annually. IMG also represents the broadcast rights to many of the world's premier sporting events and has the world's largest sports archive with more than 250,000 hours of footage.

Forstmann Little & Co. purchased IMG in 2004.

More information about IMG is available at www.imgworld.com.