As part of the closing, the two partners have agreed that there will only be one Managing Director at Sport1.
Turkish media group Acunmedya has completed the acquisition of a 50% stake in Germany’s multi-channel free-to-air network Sport1, establishing itself as a strategic investor in the European sports media market.
In February 2024, Sport1 Medien AG, a subsidiary of Swiss-based Highlight Communications, entered a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Acunmedya, granting the Turkish group half of the shares in Sport1 GmbH.
As part of the agreement, the partners decided that Sport1 will have only one Managing Director, with Matthias Kirschenhofer taking on the role. Robin Seckler will remain co-CEO of Sport1 Medien AG alongside Dr Matthias Kirschenhofer.
The partnership will also include an extensive content collaboration, bringing internationally renowned entertainment and sports entertainment formats from Acunmedya to German free-TV via Sport1. The first initiative will be a German version of the sports reality show Exatlon, set to air in September.
Speaking about the agreement, Acun Ilıcalı, Founder and Owner of the Acunmedya Group, said: ”We are excited to start our partnership with Highlight Group and Sport1, driven by a shared passion and vision for innovation. As we collaborate with the Sport1 team, we see incredible opportunities to offer a wide range of sports and entertainment content for our German-speaking audience and create an inspiring success story with our partner.”
Bernhard Burgener, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sport1 Medien AG, added: “We are very pleased with the successful closing: With Acunmedya we have found an outstanding strategic investor and a great partner. Together with Acunmedya, we will open a new chapter for Sport1. The cooperation offers us excellent opportunities to further expand our offering so that we can deliver even more innovative sports and entertainment content that will inspire our viewers.”
