Sportradar AG acquires sports media company

Thursday 21st of April 2016

Sportradar has acquired the shares and core business of Sportsman Media Holding GmbH from the CEOs and founders of the Sportsman, Thomas Krohne and Karl Wieseneder. The Sportsman is one of Europe’s leading sports media rights, marketing and platform companies.

The deal agreed upon by the parties will significantly upgrade Sportradar’s offering in the audiovisual sports content sector. Last year, the two companies delivered over 27,000 live broadcasts to the betting and gaming industry. This combined portfolio will create one of the largest and most compelling audiovisual sports offerings currently available from a single provider, including premium content such as the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Copa del Rey in football, basketball’s CBA, volleyball’s CEV, ITF Tennis and ice hockey’s KHL, as well as some of the most important audiovisual betting content available across table tennis, badminton and many other events and event series.

Under the terms of the deal, Sportradar will acquire the Sportsman Media Group, LAOLA1.tv, LAOLA1 Multimedia, and unas media productions, and will integrate them into the existing Sportradar business. While the acquisition paperwork has now been signed by the two parties, the deal still needs to be approved by the relevant antitrust authorities and the current expectation is that closing will occur no later than June 2016.

Sportsman Media Holding founder and Co-CEO Thomas Krohne said: "We have chosen an ideal buyer for our group of companies with Sportradar. The sports rights, production and platform business we set up perfectly complements that of Sportradar.“

Sportradar AG CEO Carsten Koerl said: “Even after 15 years in the betting industry, Sportradar never rests on its laurels... [The agreement] will upgrade our audiovisual portfolio and will ensure that our clients will have the broadest and best range of solutions to choose from.”

Karl Wieseneder, founder, Co-CEO and shareholder of Sportsman Media Holding said: "After 15 years of building up LAOLA1 and over ten years together with Thomas Krohne as an associate partner and CEO of the group, we have decided to put our company into new hands...Thomas Krohne and I now want a fresh entrepreneurial challenge with all the freedom that it brings with it."

The parting founders and Co-CEOs Thomas Krohne and Karl Wieseneder will continue with the holding investments that do not belong to the core business in a joint venture.