As part of the deal, an extensive content partnership is also planned.
Turkish media group Acunmedya has acquired a 50% stake in German sports broadcaster Sport1, positioning itself as a ‘strategic investor’ in the European sports media landscape.
Sport1 Medien AG, a subsidiary of Swiss-based media group Highlight Communications, has entered into a broad cooperation agreement with Acunmedya, under which the Turkish group will take over half of the shares in Sport1 GmbH.
Alongside the investment, the two entities have forged an extensive content partnership as part of their strategic alliance.
Acunmedya’s renowned entertainment and sports formats, including Exatlon, will make their debut on German television through Sport1. The internationally acclaimed sports reality format, developed by Acunmedya, seamlessly combines sports, reality, and entertainment elements, featuring contestants tackling physical and strategic challenges to test their endurance, agility, and mental resilience. The show is scheduled to premiere on Sport1 in the autumn of 2024.
The completion of the transaction remains subject to various conditions, including approval from media and antitrust authorities.
Acunmedya, which boasts ownership of Turkish TV channel TFV8 and streaming service Exxen, produces over 5,000 hours of content globally, reaching audiences in more than 15 countries.
Acun Ilıcalı, founder and owner of the group, is the owner of Hull City football club in the UK.
Speaking about the deal, Ilicali said: “We are very excited about our partnership with Highlight Group with which we share the same vision and passion for sports and entertainment. We hope to create a success story together by delivering inspiring innovative programmes to our audiences in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I am looking forward to taking it to a new level together with the SportT1 team.”
Bernhard Burgener, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sport1 Medien AG, added: “With Acunmedya Group, our Company has gained an outstanding strategic investor as a partner. I have been observing Acun Ilıcalı’s impressive entrepreneurial development for a very long time and am firmly convinced that we can expand Sport1 and make it more successful together with him.”
