Frank Saviano advises on complex and business-critical corporate matters in the sports and media industry.
Mr. Saviano counsels leading participants in the sports and media industry ranging from major sports leagues, professional sports teams, and team owners to private equity firms, financial institutions, sports media networks, and sports-adjacent companies. Mr. Saviano regularly advises on:
- Professional sports franchise investments, acquisitions, and sales
- Sports and media-related M&A
- Media rights
- Joint ventures
- Strategic investments
- Sponsorships and other significant commercial transactions
- Arena and stadium development
- Sports gambling transactions
- League governance and rules
Accolades
Mr. Saviano has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the sports industry by a number of publications, including Variety (which named him in its 2017 Dealmakers Elite list and 2019-2020 Dealmakers Impact Report), Leaders in Sport, Chambers USA, Law360, The Legal 500, Euromoney, Sports Business Journal (which selected him for the publication’s Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame, after naming him to the Forty Under 40 list for 2015, 2018, and 2019), and The National Law Journal 2021 who named him as a NLJ Trailblazer for Sports, Gaming & Entertainment Law.
Mr. Saviano’s experience includes representing:
Sports Team M&A
- Owners of the Carolina Panthers in the sale to David Tepper*
- Shahid Khan in his acquisition of the Jacksonville Jaguars*
- Alan Kestenbaum in an investment in the Atlanta Falcons*
- The NBA in its acquisition and subsequent sale of the New Orleans Hornets*
- Olympique Lyonnais Groupe in its acquisition of Reign FC*
- Dyal Capital in various investments in the Sacramento Kings
- Michael Dell in an investment in the San Antonio Spurs
- An investor in a minority investment in the Miami Marlins
Sports and Media Strategic M&A & Joint Ventures
- 888 Holdings in its exclusive US sports betting partnership with the Sports Illustrated brand and related equity issuance
- Blackstone Tactical Opportunities in its investment in Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES)*
- Soccer United Marketing in an investment by Providence Equity Partners and the subsequent repurchase of Providence Equity’s stake*
- Bruin Sports Capital and RedBird Capital Partners in a transaction with the NFL to form On Location Experiences*
- Bruin Sports Capital in its acquisition of deltatre, a sports digital media company*
- Owners of the Detroit Pistons in the formation of 313 Presents, an entertainment joint venture with the owners of the Red Wings to manage concert venues in the greater Detroit area*
- Soccer United Marketing in equity investments in SeatGeek and Fanatics*
Media Rights
- NASCAR in its media rights agreements with FOX and NBC*
- MLS and the United States Soccer Federation in its media rights agreements with ESPN, Fox, and Univision*
- The USGA in its media rights agreement with FOX and subsequent transfer to NBC*
- The Pac-12 Conference in its media rights agreements with ESPN and FOX and the launch of the Pac-12 Network*
- The BIG EAST Conference in its media rights agreement with FOX*
- The Detroit Pistons in its local media rights agreement with FOX*
Other Significant Transactions
- The New York Islanders in the lease and development of the Belmont Park Arena*
- NASCAR in the development of its landmark charter membership system with its Sprint Cup Series teams*
- The Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee in its partnership with NBCUniversal for the sale of Olympic sponsorship opportunities*
- The BIG EAST Conference in the establishment of the “new” BIG EAST Conference, including its agreement with Madison Square Garden and negotiations with incoming member institutions*
- The Detroit Pistons in arena lease negotiations for their relocation to the Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit*
*Matter handled prior to joining Latham