When Sportradar announced its decision to purchase IMG Arena in March this year, the company highlighted the “unique structure” of the deal. Despite Sportradar doing the acquiring, it would receive $125m from IMG Arena owner Endeavour Group in the deal, that’s in addition to $100m cash prepayments to certain sports rightsholders.
whether the deal would result in a “substantial lessening of competition”
For that deal to come to fruition however, it must pass through a probe by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK. The regulator has announced the beginning of an inquiry that will run until October 24. It plans to answer the question of whether the deal would result in a “substantial lessening of competition.”
Sportsradar is already the largest sports data provider in the market. Its revenue and EBITDA from the most previous report were both more than double that of the closest competitor, Genius Sports.
The new deal with IMG Arena includes a portfolio of betting rights comprising strategic relationships with 70+ rightsholders. This covers around 39,000 official data events and 30,000 streaming events, such as Wimbledon, Major League Soccer, and the PGA Tour, among others.
Announcing the deal in March, Carsten Koerl, Sportradar CEO, said: “We are confident in our ability to realize the full economic potential of this portfolio.” He highlighted the company’s track record of “maximizing return on investment” through betting rights deals.
