Just two bidders remain in the auction of sports and talent agency titan IMG Worldwide, with each being asked to make third and final offers by late next week, The Post has learned.
Hollywood talent agency WME and Silver Lake Partners, which are working with former ESPN programming boss Mark Shapiro, are battling against the team of Peter Chernin, CVC Capital and Steve Bornstein, who just quit the NFL Network. So far, the bids are close to $2.5 billion, sources said.
A third party, talent agency ICM Partners and the Carlyle Group, recently dropped out, sources said.
It is unusual for a seller to ask for a third round of bids.
However, IMG, which hired bankers in May to shop the company, may be disappointed by offers as low as $2.5 billion.
Suitors believe IMG joint ventures are not as profitable as first advertised, which have kept a lid on the offers.
“There was a bit more of a difference here [between the real and advertised numbers] than you normally find [in auctions]”, a source said.
Forstmann Little is selling IMG after founder Teddy Forstmann died two years ago.