Sportradar acquires sports media company the sportsman

Sportradar has acquired the shares and core business of German sports media rights company, the sportsman, for an undisclosed sum.

Under the terms of the deal, Sportradar will acquire the sportsman’s online sport TV channel, a live streaming production platform and a sports rights and marketing agency.

According to a statement from the two companies, the deal 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, including Bundesliga and Copa del Rey football, as well as basketball, volleyball and ice hockey.

Sportradar has been offering live sports video for betting shops since 2013 and online feeds since 2014.

The acquisition paperwork has been signed by the two parties and approval from the relevant anti-trust authorities is expected “no later than June 2016“.

Sportradar AG CEO Carsten Koerl said the deal provided a “unique opportunity to explore new synergies where we can cross-pollinate our various products and services”.

“Let’s also not forget the possibilities the [online sports TV platform] Laola1 presents. Through these channels, we will explore how we can provide rights holders and industry partners the maximum awareness and reach in combination with some of our unique data services and solutions,” Koerl explained.

Sportsman founder and Co-CEO Thomas Krohne added: “We have chosen an ideal buyer for our group of companies with Sportradar. The clear synergies give us confidence that the company we built up and our staff have very good future prospects under Carsten Koerl’s stewardship.”