Albrecht To Steer, Build IMG Media Assets
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/17/2007 11:20:00 AM
On the morning after HBO won a handful of Emmy's, including for The Sopranos, came the news that former Chairman Chris Albrecht, who helped develop that and other shows, had joined IMG sports management up its media businesses.
He was also named a partner in parent Forstmann Little and will team up with Ted Forstmann to raise $250 million to heavy up its investment in entertainment content. B&C reported back in January that IMG was eyeing Bunim-Murray Productions.
Albrecht exited as HBO chairman and CEO in May after his arrest in Las Vegas on misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting a woman identified as his girlfriend.
Albrecht, the former stand-up comic who helped turn HBO from a home for movies into one for moving, funny, and provocative original programming, had apologized and said he planned to volunteer with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Before joining HBO in 1985 as a West Coast programming executive, Albrecht was a talent agent ICM (he signed Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal, among others).
""Chris Albrecht is a visionary–not only one of television's greatest creative minds, but also one of its most successful business executives–and we are thrilled to have him join IMG," said Forestmann in announcing the move. " His credentials are unparalleled. He dramatically increased revenues and profits at HBO while overseeing the development and production of iconic shows such as The Sopranos [which won the Emmy for best drama Sunday night], Sex and the City, Entourage {Jeremy Piven collected his second Emmy Sunday], Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Band of Brothers, and The Wire."
Albrecht will already have a pretty full plate. IMG bills itself as the world's independent sports producer, distributing over 11,000 hours of content to 220 countries, as well as handling TV rights to over 100 sporting events.
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