What Smith Entertainment Group does

Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) is a privately held sports and entertainment holding company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that owns and operates the Utah Jazz (NBA) and the Utah Mammoth (NHL). Founded in 2012 and controlled by Ryan Smith, SEG was awarded an NHL expansion franchise in 2024, making it the first owner to operate both an NBA and NHL team under a single integrated campus in the Sandy/Downtown Salt Lake City area. Its core asset is the Delta Center, a 17,000-19,000 seat multi-purpose arena undergoing major renovations, including a custom StageRight retractable seating system designed to optimize sightlines for both basketball and hockey, RFID-enabled retail infrastructure, and AI-assisted video security analytics.

SEG's business model spans six primary revenue streams: professional sports ticket sales (season, group, and individual tickets across both franchises), omnichannel merchandise via the long-term Fanatics partnership, multi-year corporate sponsorships and official partnerships (Intermountain Health, 1Password, and others), premium seating and suites, venue-based concerts and events including a planned 6,000-seat Live Nation-operated music venue, and a forthcoming 60,000-square-foot sports performance center in Sandy, Utah (opening 2028) offering integrated sports medicine, orthopedics, and AI-enabled performance services. The company has committed $3 billion to a broader downtown Salt Lake City entertainment district overhaul, complemented by $1 billion in public funding tied to NHL arrival and Delta Center renovations.

The go-to-market motion is sales-led and enterprise-anchored at the sponsorship level, layered over a high-volume direct-to-consumer ticketing and retail operation. Customer segments include individual sports fans and season ticket holders (primary), corporate sponsors and advertisers seeking official partnership and suite access (primary), professional athletes and sports organizations accessing performance services (secondary), and general entertainment consumers attending concerts and family shows (secondary). SEG also participates in industry venues such as the NAB Show's Broadcast Engineering & IT Conference, positioning its security and venue operations as thought leadership within sports technology.

Name

Smith Entertainment Group

Website

https://smithentertainmentgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smith Entertainment Group is a privately held sports and entertainment holding company that owns and operates the Utah Jazz (NBA) and Utah Mammoth (NHL), running the Delta Center arena, a $3 billion downtown Salt Lake City entertainment district buildout, and integrated sponsorship, retail, and athlete performance operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Entertainment and Venue Management

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Arenas & Indoor Sports Centers (MPAKAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports & Arena Event Venues (Stadiums, Arenas) (THAHAAAF), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD), Sports & Event Media Rights Licensing (MPADALAE)

Keywords

• Professional sports franchises
• Sports venue management
• Live entertainment events
• Corporate sponsorship sales
• Arena operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Ypsilanti

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional sports ticket sales: Revenue from Utah Mammoth NHL and Utah Jazz NBA regular season, preseason, and playoff game tickets across approximately 17,000 hockey seats and 19,000 basketball seats at the Delta Center.
2. Retail merchandise: Omnichannel retail operations including in-venue stores and e-commerce platforms managed by Fanatics, featuring branded merchandise from Nike, New Era, and other partners.
3. Corporate sponsorship and partnerships: Multi-year official partnership agreements with companies including 1Password (cybersecurity), Intermountain Health (healthcare), and others providing naming rights, branding, and exclusivity benefits.
4. Premium seating and suites: Revenue from tiered terrace seating, gondola additions, luxury suites, and club-level access at Delta Center venues.
5. Venue events and concerts: Revenue from hosting concerts, family shows, and other entertainment events at Delta Center and planned 6,000-seat music venue in partnership with Live Nation.
6. Sports performance center services: Revenue potential from integrated sports medicine, orthopedics, rehabilitation, and performance services at the 60,000-square-foot Sandy facility serving professional athletes and community members.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Smith Entertainment Group owns and operates two professional sports franchises — the Utah Jazz (NBA) and the Utah Mammoth (NHL) — and runs the Delta Center arena in Salt Lake City as a shared home venue. It sells tickets, season and premium seating, merchandise, corporate sponsorships, and hosts concerts and live events, while developing a 60,000-square-foot sports performance center with Intermountain Health and a 6,000-seat music venue with Live Nation.

Product overview

Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) is a sports entertainment and venue management company that operates professional sports teams and entertainment venues. The core portfolio includes the Utah Mammoth (NHL hockey team) and Utah Jazz (NBA basketball team), both based at the Delta Center arena in Salt Lake City. SEG is undertaking a major multi-phase renovation of the Delta Center to serve as a dual-use venue, and is developing a 60,000-square-foot sports performance center with AI-enabled technology opening in 2028. The company is also partnering with Live Nation to build a 6,000-seat music venue as part of downtown Salt Lake City's entertainment district. SEG's operations center around live sports entertainment, venue management, and sports-related facilities development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Utah Mammoth: NHL professional hockey franchise owned by Smith Entertainment Group, Utah's first major professional hockey team
• Utah Jazz

Products and services

• Utah Jazz (NBA Franchise) NBA professional basketball franchise owned and operated by Smith Entertainment Group, playing home games at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Teams compete in the National Basketball Association, with all regular-season, preseason, and postseason home games hosted at the Delta Center venue.
• Utah Mammoth (NHL Franchise) NHL professional hockey franchise owned and operated by Smith Entertainment Group, representing Utah's entry into the National Hockey League and playing home games at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The team was acquired as an NHL expansion franchise in 2024 and is Utah's first major professional hockey team.
• Delta Center Multi-purpose arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by Smith Entertainment Group and home to both the Utah Jazz (NBA) and Utah Mammoth (NHL), with a proprietary retractable seating system designed to optimize sightlines for both basketball and hockey. Approximately 17,000 hockey seats and nearly 19,000 basketball seats; also hosts concerts, family shows, and live entertainment events for corporate and consumer audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• First NHL team to go 82-game season without a shootout (Utah Mammoth, 2025-26)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Intermountain HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Landmark partnership to develop a 60,000-square-foot sports performance center in Sandy, Utah, opening 2028 adjacent to Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth practice facilities. Intermountain Health becomes official healthcare partner for both teams starting July 1, 2026, with Select Health as exclusive health insurance provider. First NBA/NHL campus under single ownership with unified healthcare provider.
• NAB ShowminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 March 2026Smith Entertainment Group participated as panelists at the NAB Show's Broadcast Engineering & IT Conference, addressing field safety and venue security modernization alongside Fox, Dataminr, and Verkada experts.
• 1PasswordcoreTechnology or Integration · 9 October 2025Multi-year official cybersecurity partnership making 1Password the official cybersecurity partner for Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth. Collaboration involves deploying 1Password's Extended Access Management solutions to enhance security for both sports franchises and Delta Center venues.
• Live NationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2025Partnership to build a new 6,000-seat indoor music venue as part of Salt Lake City's downtown entertainment district between Delta Center and Salt Palace Convention Center. Joint venture operated primarily by Live Nation, filling gap in city's concert market. SEG committed $3 billion to broader downtown overhaul.
• FanaticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2025Long-term omnichannel retail partnership with Fanatics becoming official partner for Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth franchises. Fanatics assumes all retail operations at Delta Center starting June 1, managing e-commerce, in-venue stores, merchandise with Nike and New Era, and innovative technologies including RFID.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: Holds Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), and Arsenal FC across multiple venues (Ball Arena, Empower Field) — the closest structural peer to SEG given dual NBA/NHL ownership under a single family-controlled operator with substantial real estate holdings.
• Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. Owns New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL) and operates Madison Square Garden — the longest-standing publicly traded dual NBA/NHL franchise and arena operator, serving as the marquee benchmark for venue-driven franchise economics.
• Comcast Spectacor: Owns Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) and operates Wells Fargo Center with diversified venue, food services (Spectra), and entertainment programming — directly comparable as a multi-venue operator with vertical integration in concessions and live events.
• Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG): Operates Crypto.com Arena, multiple NHL teams (LA Kings), and a global concert/venue network — directly relevant as a comparable arena operator and Live Nation competitor with deep franchise and venue-management integration.
• Liberty Media: Holds Atlanta Braves (MLB) and has investments across sports, media, and live entertainment — comparable as a diversified owner-operator with significant real estate and media-rights exposure across sports properties.

Direct peers

• Monumental Sports & Entertainment: Operates Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL), and Capital One Arena — a directly comparable dual NBA/NHL franchise and arena operator model with a similar mid-market, owner-controlled structure.
• Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment: Owns Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), New Jersey Devils (NHL), and Prudential Center / Wells Fargo Center — another directly comparable dual-franchise, multi-venue private-equity-influenced sports and entertainment operator.
• BSE Global: Operates Brooklyn Nets (NBA) and Barclays Center arena, with adjacent entertainment programming — a comparable owner-operator model combining NBA franchise, modern arena, and entertainment/event venue programming.
• Ilitch Holdings: Family-owned operator of Detroit Red Wings (NHL), Detroit Tigers (MLB), and Little Caesars Arena with surrounding district redevelopment — a closely comparable mid-market dual-franchise owner-operator pursuing integrated sports/entertainment district strategy.

Emerging players

• Oak View Group (OVG): Develops and operates next-generation arenas (Climate Pledge Arena, UBS Arena, Co-op Live) across North America and Europe — a closely comparable emerging platform focused on venue development and live entertainment programming in growing markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smith Entertainment Group