News

NEW YORK — The Tennis Media Company (TMC), owners and publishers of Tennis Magazine, Tennis.com and Tennis Tuesday, has announced the appointment of a new Managing Partner. Former Managing Partners Bob Miller and George Mackin reported today that Jeff Williams, the well-respected tennis industry veteran and TMC Group Publisher for the past decade, has become the new Managing Partner of TMC and will oversee all operations.

“We are proud of our accomplishments over the years at TMC; not only with our media assets but our leadership role in bringing together the strategic investor group to buy out IMG’s interests in Indian Wells and keep the tournament in America, subsequently selling it to Larry Ellison, all of which was great for our sport.” Mackin said. “We have continually invested to transform TMC from print-centric to a digital-first organization serving the global tennis market in general, and the valued tennis enthusiast audience in particular, with the content they want, when they want it”.

“Jeff has not only been at the forefront of this transformation but our leading architect, advocate and marketer of this successful digital evolution and it is now his time to assume full management, ownership and comprehensive control of our brands and the TMC operations. We are confident that the industry and all our partners will both applaud Jeff in this milestone career achievement and support his commitment to continue building our brands, strengthening our market leadership and relevance and growing the sport of tennis.”

“I can’t think of a more exciting time to be taking on this role,” said Williams, who has been a media executive since he became publisher and editor of Tennis Industry Magazine in 1985. “The sport is on the brink of a new golden age with the recent emergence of young superstars on the pro tours, lucrative broadcast deals with major sports networks, solid sales figures of iconic tennis brands, and the continued globalization of the sport. The Tennis Media Company has spent the past few years cultivating world-class talent to build our current fleet of compelling multi-platform product offerings-we’re going to continue to grow those assets to serve the tennis industry better than ever before.”

Beyond the world of publishing, Williams has been an active member of numerous tennis organizations including the USTA, USTA Eastern Section, TIA, ASBA and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. In 2013, he began his first term on the USTA Board of Directors, serving as the chair of the Strategic and Creative Planning Committee and the board liaison to the Opportunity Council. Previously, he lead the USTA Eastern Section as vice president in 2009-10 and president in 2011-12. Additionally, he has been an influential member of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) Board of Directors since 1990, and a member of the TIA Executive Committee since 2006.

“We’re in a unique position with Tennis Media Company – we’re equally as proud of our heritage as we are of how we harness modern media technology to deliver compelling content in truly innovative ways,” Williams said. “Tennis Magazine will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2015, and at the same time, we’ll be building on the unprecedented success of Tennis Tuesday, the weekly multi-platform digital offering we launched earlier this year. Meanwhile, the technological enhancements we continue to make to the mobile capabilities of Tennis.com will ensure that our Web site maintains its sizable advantage as the No. 1 global destination for the sport’s millions of fans.”

Miller and Mackin will transition to investor roles within the new structure. Tennis legend Chris Evert maintains her role as Partner and as a contributor of editorial content and instructional videos. Billie Jean King retains her role as an investor in TMC along with several other current and strategic investors.

“There is nobody better in the industry than Jeff to synchronize the goals of the Tennis Media Company with that of the tennis industry,” said Tennis Industry Association President Greg Mason. “He understands that their online, mobile and print platforms can be powerful partners for the entire tennis industry. Jeff is a tennis guy, and there is no doubt that the new Tennis Media Company will exude his passion for the game. Knowing Jeff for more than 14 years, I am confident that the tennis industry has a friend in charge of the Tennis Media Company who knows how to work together with the entire tennis industry for the betterment of the game.”