Imagine Communications Sharpens Focus on North American Sports

Imagine Communications is deepening its commitment to the North American sports and live events market with targeted investments in both its product portfolio and team structure.

This strategic move reflects Imagine's ongoing dedication to serving the unique and evolving needs of its customers and partners in one of media and entertainment's most dynamic sectors.

As part of this initiative, Imagine is announcing the promotion of Jimbo Haneklau to vice president of sales, sports and live events. In this role, Haneklau is tasked with leading Imagine's go-to-market sports strategy for the U.S., building a high-performing sales team, and spearheading partnerships with leagues, networks, and venues. Haneklau began his career in broadcast technology with Imagine in 2019 and has since become a sought-after thought leader, taking the stage at industry events to discuss next-generation tech deployments with innovative sports organisations including the University of Texas, the University of Minnesota, and the Miami Heat.

Imagine also announces the appointment of Sophee Mink to the newly established position of business solution associate, sports and live events. Since joining Imagine as an inside sales specialist in 2024, Mink — a former NCAA Division 1 volleyball player — has quickly proved herself as a dynamic and results-driven professional, playing a key role in driving client engagement and sales growth across the sports and house of worship (HOW) verticals.

"Expanding our dedicated team and leadership in the sports and live space allows us to be more intentional in how we serve this growing market, and these two appointments are a key part of that strategy," said Kyle Luther, vice president, Americas sales, at Imagine Communications. "Jimbo's wealth of knowledge and deep relationships across the industry position him to be a critical force in enhancing value for Imagine’s sports customers, and his promotion reflects both his proven track record and the strategic importance of this vertical.

"At the same time, Sophee brings fresh energy and a strong customer-first mindset to her new role. Her rapid growth within the company is a testament to her talent and drive, which have earned her the respect of colleagues across the organisation. Together, Jimbo and Sophee will play a pivotal role in delivering meaningful value to our customers and partners across the industry."

Imagine also continues to reinforce its leadership in sports and live events with next-generation advancements in its Selenio Network Processor™ and Magellan™ Control System, a widely deployed combination that is enabling media companies around the world to significantly improve operational efficiency and protect existing investments, while navigating any technology transition — including UHD, HDR and on-ramp to the cloud. To date, more than 4,500 SNP units have been delivered globally, powering over 140,000 video streams and 2 million audio streams worldwide.

The company's industry-proven playout solutions, including the acclaimed Versio™ integrated platform provide the fast-turnaround playback capabilities that enable live sports to be re-aired within seconds, with minimal manual intervention. Additionally, the fully customisable HTML5 control surfaces simplify operations, allowing for all the necessary tools to be made front and centre, while lesser-used tools take a back seat.

Imagine has pushed the boundaries of innovation in sports technology with recent introductions such as Magellan AudioFlex™, which provides mono-channel granularity for audio routing, allowing operators to take any channel from any signal and map it anywhere for seamless audio control even in complex IP workflows. In addition to preserving the control workflows familiar to engineers, this capability enhances live production by enabling fast, last-minute gameday adjustments.

With the integration of JPEG XS compression into SNP — a feature proven on the world stage during the 2024 Paris Games — Imagine now offers a reliable and efficient way to move live video streams from venues to production hubs and into the cloud. This model provides a high-quality, low-latency signal path that supports full end-to-end HDR from shooting to production to distribution for streaming.

These advanced production and playout capabilities have solidified Imagine’s position as the tech partner of choice in live event environments ranging from universities and sports leagues to stadiums and regional sports networks.

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