Partnership to Expand and Accelerate Global Soccer Platform
LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Integrated Media Company (IMC), a TPG platform dedicated to the new media ecosystem, announced today it has signed a definitive agreement with DAZN Group to acquire a majority stake in Goal, the world’s largest digital soccer brand. Under the partnership, Goal will enrich its coverage of the world’s top sport and additionally create digital opportunities enhancing the fan experience, advertiser proposition, and overall popularity of the game particularly in growth markets. IMC will also acquire leading German and Dutch portals Spox and VoetbalZone as part of a new venture. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“There are four billion soccer fans on earth. Their passion transcends borders and limits though the media serving them does not,” said Ori Winitzer, Managing Director, IMC. “Goal has long been an innately global platform for the soccer fan, with a strong journalistic tradition and a brand that’s synonymous with the sport. We see a significant opportunity to expand the platform’s reach and engagement through new content verticals, products, and experiences. We’re excited to partner with DAZN to serve all constituents in the soccer world.”
“We are thrilled to partner with IMC as we enter our next chapter of growth,” said James Rushton, Acting CEO, DAZN Group. “As we saw with Goal’s Lionel Messi exclusive, our football portals business features the top digital football destinations in the world. The investment from IMC will enable it to reach new heights, whilst allowing DAZN to focus its energy and resources on further strengthening our sports destination platform.”
Across platforms the new venture counts nearly 150 million unique visitors (August 2020) and offers news, scores, video and editorial content in 19 languages. It will seek to expand breadth and depth with the benefit of new capital. With a digital-native approach, combining global reach and local presence, the new venture aims to provide for all fan needs. It also enables an authentic opportunity for brands to connect with the right message, at the right time, and in the right place.
Integrated Media Company
Integrated Media Company, LLC is a TPG portfolio company thematically investing across the digital media landscape. Launched in 2018, IMC’s mandate is both financial and strategic, providing greater flexibility with regards to investment size, term and portfolio construction. IMC’s investments are oriented in verticals, allowing for additional acquisitions and organic investment in pursuit of growth.
About DAZN Group
DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK with employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports; from production, through to content distribution and commercialisation. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the leading global sport streaming service, as well as some of the most popular sport portals, including DAZN News, Goal, Sporting News, and Spox.com. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees affordable access on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is live in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. In 2020, DAZN will dramatically increase its presence, expanding to more than 200 countries and territories. Visit https://media.dazn.com for more information.
Contacts
Media:
Ori Winitzer – IMC – ori@integratedmedia.com
Luke Barrett – TPG – lbarrett@tpg.com
Chris Legentil – DAZN Group – Chris.Legentil@DAZN.com
Richard Lambert – DAZN Group – Richard.Lambert@DAZN.com
