Los Angeles, CA (June 5, 2025) – The University of Southern California (USC) Athletics and Learfield are excited to unveil a groundbreaking 15-year partnership to transform USC’s revenue generation, multimedia rights, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), and fan engagement solutions. Set to begin in July 2026, this partnership will complement other Learfield enterprise services already on campus, including Paciolan’s ticketing and SIDEARM Sports fan engagement platform, and will empower USC to enhance its operations and significantly increase revenue, adapting to the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics.
“We are thrilled to announce this transformational partnership with Learfield and to leverage their innovation and expertise in our work to win the new era of college athletics,” said Jen Cohen, USC’s Charles Griffin Cale Director of Athletics. “Learfield’s combination of cutting-edge solutions, forward-thinking revenue-generation strategies, and collaborative leadership and focus will be invaluable in our work to better engage new and existing fans, promote and expand the iconic USC brand, and to generate the resources needed to maximize our investment in student-athletes. From increased storytelling and NIL opportunities for student-athletes, to providing world-class experiences for our fans in every engagement, this partnership will elevate our entire institution and help ensure USC remains the place to be for student-athletes to reach their fullest potential in all they do for years to come.”
Learfield will deliver growth for USC Athletics and the iconic Coliseum, home of Trojan football, through integrated revenue generation services built on a foundation of data and cutting-edge technology. USC will leverage Learfield’s Fanbase platform, the largest fan database in college athletics, to gather and enhance data and generate valuable insights to propel revenue initiatives. Since USC currently works with Learfield’s Paciolan ticketing and SIDEARM Sports fan engagement divisions, USC will immediately gain insights into over 3.2 million fan profiles to drive revenue programs. Adding USC fan data to Fanbase provides over 28 million fan records across the Big Ten conference, offering rich fan insights. Based on data analytics, Learfield will deliver USC-integrated digital solutions for greater engagement in driving ticket sales and fundraising revenue. Additionally, powerful data intelligence will provide more opportunities for innovative sponsorships that align with the USC fan base, including new sponsor categories, activation of new trends, and cultivation of strategic partnerships.
USC Athletics will also harness Learfield’s industry-leading NIL suite of services, centered around three foundational pillars: NIL leadership resources, strategic content creation, and the Compass platform for brand and athlete connectivity. USC Trojan Sports Properties, Learfield’s locally based team, will introduce key NIL leadership resources focused on building more brand relationships and executing student-athlete campaigns. The partnership will unlock new NIL opportunities and improve the Trojan student-athlete experience by offering cutting-edge NIL programs to optimize dealmaking for athletes.
Learfield Studios is the largest college athlete content platform, managing content production and distribution across all 150 Learfield sports properties to deliver original storytelling that drives fan engagement year-round. In partnership with USC, home of the top-ranked cinema school in the country, Learfield’s Emmy award-winning studios team will create premium content featuring student-athletes, coaches, and teams—amplified through digital and social platforms. Last fiscal year, Learfield Studios generated over 1.2 billion impressions and delivered $50 million in branded content revenue.
USC Sports Properties will link athletes with sponsors using Learfield’s award-winning Compass NIL platform, which integrates into Learfield’s partner database of over 12,000 brands. This solution provides USC Athletics with unparalleled NIL opportunities for the organization and its athletes to help facilitate more NIL deals.
“We’re ecstatic to collaborate with Jen and her team to revolutionize their business with innovative revenue generation solutions,” said Kim Damron, President of Sports Properties at Learfield. “As the industry leader in revenue monetization services, we are passionate about leveraging our vast resources and expertise to deliver pioneering sponsorships, dynamic NIL programs, and next-level fan engagement that drive greater opportunities for one of the most prestigious programs in college athletics.”
Learfield’s local and corporate sales expertise builds meaningful sponsorships that unlock significant revenue opportunities for Trojan Athletics. Part of the robust suite of services Learfield will now provide is USC’s inclusion in the company’s corporate sales go-to-market, leveraging a database of thousands of brand partners and prospects that the company is working with today.
“The combination of Learfield’s NIL, revenue generation, and fan engagement services are unmatched in the industry, and we are excited to deliver the power of our best-in-class services on behalf of USC to blaze a trail forward and help elevate their business,” added Damron.
About USC Athletics
Established in 1880, USC Athletics has a proud athletic heritage that includes outstanding teams and prominent individuals along with an exceptional academic pedigree and a deep connection to the Southern California community. USC Athletics sponsors 23 NCAA Division I sports that currently compete in either the Big Ten Conference or the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. From national championships to Olympic medals, USC stands tall as one of the most successful athletics programs on the globe, as Trojan teams have won more national championships (137) than all but two schools, including a combined 114 NCAA team titles (86 men’s, 28 women’s). USC also has a long tradition of nurturing successful Olympic athletes, boasting more Olympians and gold medals than any school in the country. Led by Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen, USC remains the PLACE TO BE for student-athletes to reach their full potential in all they do. Fight On!
About Learfield
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.