Tla Worldwide Creates New Agency

TLA Worldwide, an athlete representation and sports marketing business, has announced the creation of a new independent sports marketing business, Talisman Sports and Media (Talisman), in partnership with Simon Thomas and Andrew Guy.

The newly formed company will focus on the commercial exploitation of existing sports rights within the TLA Group and the development of new opportunities. It will be headquartered in the UK with offices in London and Switzerland. 

Thomas and Guy, who were previously held global commercial roles at Fox Sports, are sports marketing professionals with specific experience in brand building as well as the packaging and sale of media rights in existing or newly created premium sports properties.

Prior to his role as executive vice president of global sport and content sales at Fox, Thomas was CEO of TEAM Marketing, the commercial agency responsible for marketing and sales of UEFA club competitions including UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.  

Guy, previously Fox’s senior VP of global sport, came from a commercial and business affairs role at CAA11, UEFA’s agency for the sales of national team competitions where he was involved in the commercialisation and sale of rights to UEFA’s national team competitions. Before that, he was commercial director at TEAM Marketing.

TLA Worldwide is an athlete representation, event management and sports marketing group quoted on the London Stock Exchange in London. In the USA, it was most recently responsible for the organisation and promotion of the Ireland vs All Blacks rugby union match in Chicago. TLA will not initially have a shareholding in Talisman but has the option to acquire a majority stake within a five-year period from the date of this announcement.

Talisman, managing director, Simon Thomas said: “The sports marketplace is extremely dynamic right now, reflecting a rapidly changing media environment. Sports rights are becoming increasingly valuable and rights owners need to understand how they treat those rights to best develop their brands and properties. TLA is an ambitious organisation with excellent relationships in a variety of sports. We think it’s a good fit for us and we look forward to making this partnership a success.”

TLA, chairman, Bart Campbell said: “Taking a stake in the new business is in line with TLA’s stated strategy to expand its range of services and geographic presence. Simon and Andrew bring a wealth of quality experience to the organisation and we welcome them to the TLA family and look forward to working with them on a variety of projects. TLA has a strong presence in athlete representation, sponsorships, event creation and development. Working with Simon and Andrew’s specialist marketing and media rights expertise will enhance TLA’s overall offering and help us pursue new opportunities in tandem, better servicing our clients’ needs.”