Van Wagner Group
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Van Wagner Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Van Wagner Group
- Legal name
- Van Wagner Group, LLC
- Website
- https://vanwagner.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Van Wagner Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Marketing and Advertising Services
- NAICS
- Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Streaming & Broadcast Production (Multi-camera, Encoding, CDN Delivery) (THAHAOAB)
Keywords
Where Van Wagner Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Van Wagner Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- TV-Visible Signage Sales: Sells high-impact TV-visible signage placements behind home plate, courtside, and along fields of play across MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA, MLS, and international soccer properties to brand advertisers
- College Multimedia Rights: Manages development, sales, and activation of corporate partnerships and multimedia assets for college athletic departments and conferences, representing over 40 NCAA institutions
- Event Production Services: Provides live event presentation, video board production, and sport production services for major sporting events including Super Bowl, Olympics, and NCAA Championships
- Aerial Advertising: Offers aerial billboard and skytyping advertising solutions reaching audiences at beaches, sporting events, and music festivals
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom sponsorship packages based on property and visibility level |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Van Wagner Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Van Wagner Group is a full-service sports advertising and entertainment agency that creates, connects, and sells on behalf of major sports leagues, teams, colleges, and Fortune 500 brands. Its core offering is high-impact TV-visible signage placement across 300+ professional and collegiate sports properties, combined with live event production, broadcast solutions, collegiate multimedia rights management, experience-driven corporate events (Van Wagner X), and aerial advertising. The company sells advertising inventory, sponsorships, and event production services primarily to brands and sports properties.
Product overview
Van Wagner is a full-service sports advertising and entertainment agency offering a portfolio of interconnected services. The core offerings include: Dorna TV-Visible Signage (broadcast-visible advertising across MLB, NBA, NCAA teams), Productions & Events (live event production and sport presentation), Broadcast Solutions (remote production capabilities), Van Wagner X (corporate brand experiences), College Division (multimedia rights for 40+ NCAA institutions), and Aerial Advertising (skytyping and billboard services). These services are delivered across major sporting events including NFL Super Bowl, Pan American Games, NCAA Final Four, and serve both professional sports leagues and collegiate athletics clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dorna TV-Visible Signage High-impact broadcast-visible signage placement behind home plate, courtside, and along fields of play across more than 300 professional and collegiate sports teams and events, sold to brand advertisers for TV-visible exposure.
- Productions & Events Full-service live event production and sport presentation services including programming, scriptwriting, producing, and directing for major sporting events and large-scale corporate events globally.
- Broadcast Solutions REMI remote production broadcast solutions for live sports and events, featuring a dedicated Broadcast Control Center in Raleigh, NC that allows remote production by company staff and outside personnel.
- Van Wagner X Experience-driven events division providing big-stage energy and immersive brand experiences to corporate and brand clients, including organizations like the NFL and USTA.
- College Division (Multimedia Rights) Multimedia rights holder, campus marketing partner, and strategic advisor delivering sports marketing services to NCAA colleges, universities, and athletic conferences across the U.S., managing corporate partnerships, sponsorship sales, and integrated marketing.
- Aerial Advertising Industry-leading aerial media services including massive full-color aerial billboards, skywriting techniques, and helicopter banners for national, regional, and local-scale audience reach at beaches, sporting events, and music festivals, marketed through Van Wagner Aerial Media, LLC.
Quantifiable outcome
- Hankook Tire grew from #17 to #5 in U.S. tire sales after 5 years of TV-visible signage program
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Van Wagner Group
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Van Wagner Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Van Wagner Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.
- Dartmouth AthleticscoreVan Wagner partnered with Dartmouth as its exclusive multimedia rights holder. Van Wagner will lead all aspects of Dartmouth Athletics' corporate partnerships, sponsorship sales, and integrated marketing initiatives across in-venue, digital, broadcast, and campus platforms.
- Cape Cod Baseball LeaguecoreVan Wagner announced a multimedia rights partnership with the Cape Cod Baseball League, the nation's premier summer collegiate baseball league. Van Wagner will represent the league's multimedia rights including corporate partnerships, sponsorship development, and activation strategy for the 10-team league.
- University at Buffalo / Broadview Federal Credit UnionflagshipVan Wagner brokered a historic $31 million naming rights partnership between University at Buffalo and Broadview Federal Credit Union - the largest deal in MAC history.
- Air Force ReservemajorVan Wagner secured the Air Force Reserve as presenting sponsor for the 2026 Credit Union 1 Basketball Championship (WCC). Partnership provides national exposure across six linear ESPN broadcasts and 16 ESPN+ broadcasts.
- Air Force ReservemajorVan Wagner secured the Air Force Reserve as presenting sponsor for the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Basketball Championships through a national agreement. Air Force Reserve receives prominent branding during the 26-game tournament with over 52 hours of live coverage on ESPN networks.
- Canon U.S.A.coreCanon U.S.A. extended its partnership as the Official Imaging Partner of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), negotiated by Van Wagner. Canon will continue to receive exclusive marketing rights and provide imaging technology and education programs to enhance WAC athletic broadcasts.
- American University AthleticscoreVan Wagner announced a long-term partnership with American University Athletics to represent the university's multimedia rights. Van Wagner will manage development, sales, and activation of corporate partnerships and multimedia assets for the 16-sport NCAA Division I athletics program.
- NFLflagshipVan Wagner X division provides experience-driven events for organizations and corporations including NFL. The new division focuses on delivering big-stage energy to corporate and brand experiences.
- USTAflagshipVan Wagner X division provides experience-driven events for organizations and corporations including USTA. The new division focuses on delivering big-stage energy to corporate and brand experiences.
- Air Force ReservemajorVan Wagner secured the Air Force Reserve as title partner for the 2026 MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships as part of a national agreement.
- Jersey Mike'sflagshipVan Wagner represented Jersey Mike's in a multi-year partnership with the NFL. The partnership brings football and sub sandwiches together for gameday experiences.
- Boston College AthleticscoreVan Wagner announced an exclusive multimedia rights partnership with Boston College Athletics, a leading collegiate athletics program.
- Kent State University AthleticscoreVan Wagner entered a multiyear agreement with Kent State University Athletics as their exclusive multimedia rights partner and sales agent.
- MTSU AthleticscoreVan Wagner signed an exclusive agreement with Middle Tennessee Athletics. Van Wagner will become the Blue Raiders' multimedia rights holder managing all aspects of corporate partnerships, venue signage, event sponsorships, and digital engagement.
- Temple University AthleticscoreVan Wagner entered a multi-year multimedia rights partnership with Temple University Athletics. Van Wagner will build new opportunities for Temple Athletics and corporate sponsors while expanding upon existing collaborations.
- Hockey East AssociationcoreVan Wagner announced a multi-year multimedia rights partnership with the Hockey East Association. Van Wagner will exclusively manage and sell the corporate marketing and advertising sponsorship program of the conference.
- University of MainecoreVan Wagner exclusively manages the multimedia rights of Hockey East member institution University of Maine, in addition to the conference partnership.
- Santiago 2023 Organizing CommitteeflagshipVan Wagner was named the exclusive Sport Presentation partner for the 2023 Pan American Games and Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Van Wagner was responsible for planning and producing all facets of the live, multi-day event.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Van Wagner Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Learfield: Learfield is the largest U.S. college multimedia rights holder and a direct competitor to Van Wagner College, representing hundreds of NCAA institutions and conferences — the same core business model Van Wagner College is scaling.
- Playfly Sports: Playfly Sports (TPG-backed) competes head-to-head with Van Wagner on college multimedia rights, high school marketing, and sports property representation, with similar on-site sales team economics at partner institutions.
- Nelligan Sports Marketing: Nelligan is a legacy college multimedia rights competitor whose former senior executives (Mike Palisi, Mark Donley) now lead Van Wagner College, making it a directly comparable peer in the collegiate rights space.
- Dorna Sports: Dorna Sports manages MotoGP and is the namesake and historic partner of Van Wagner Dorna (the TV-visible signage division); both companies share the 'Dorna' heritage and operate in the same international sports signage and broadcast space.
Broad incumbents
- Endeavor (WME | IMG): Endeavor's WME/IMG and On Location divisions own the global sports marketing and experiential agency space, competing with Van Wagner on premium sponsorship sales, brand experiences, and event production at scale.
- Octagon: Octagon is a global sports marketing agency under IPG that competes with Van Wagner across sponsorship consulting, athlete marketing, and event production for major brands and rights holders.
- Wasserman: Wasserman is one of the largest independent sports marketing and talent management agencies, with a comparable client roster of leagues, teams, and Fortune 500 brands seeking sponsorship and consulting services.
- CAA Sports: CAA Sports is the sports division of Creative Artists Agency, offering marketing, media rights, and consulting services to leagues, teams, and brands — directly comparable to Van Wagner's sponsorship and advisory work.
- IMG (College division legacy): IMG College (now integrated into Learfield/Endeavor) was the original scale player in college multimedia rights; its historical playbook and contract structures set the template Van Wagner College is now executing against.
Emerging players
- Elevate Sports Ventures: Elevate is a sports and entertainment consulting firm with growing college and property advisory practices, increasingly bidding for the same multimedia rights and corporate partnership mandates Van Wagner College pursues.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Van Wagner Group social profiles
Digital presenceVan Wagner Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Van Wagner Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Van Wagner Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Van Wagner Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Van Wagner Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Van Wagner Group
What does Van Wagner Group do?
Van Wagner Group is a full-service sports advertising and entertainment agency that creates, connects, and sells on behalf of major sports leagues, teams, colleges, and Fortune 500 brands. Its core offering is high-impact TV-visible signage placement across 300+ professional and collegiate sports properties, combined with live event production, broadcast solutions, collegiate multimedia rights management, experience-driven corporate events (Van Wagner X), and aerial advertising. The company sells advertising inventory, sponsorships, and event production services primarily to brands and sports properties.
Is Van Wagner Group a public or private company?
Van Wagner Group is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Van Wagner Group founded?
Van Wagner Group was founded in 1970. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Van Wagner Group based?
Van Wagner Group is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Van Wagner Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. TV-Visible Signage Sales are the primary driver. The others are college Multimedia Rights, event Production Services and aerial Advertising.
Who are Van Wagner Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Learfield, Playfly Sports, Nelligan Sports Marketing and Dorna Sports. Broad incumbents are Endeavor (WME | IMG), Octagon, Wasserman, CAA Sports and IMG (College division legacy). Elevate Sports Ventures is listed as an emerging player.
Does Van Wagner Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Van Wagner Group.
What industry is Van Wagner Group in?
Van Wagner Group's product category is Sports Marketing and Advertising Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAOAB, Live Streaming & Broadcast Production (Multi-camera, Encoding, CDN Delivery). Its NAICS code is 54185 and its SIC code is 7990.