Supponor acquired by TGI Sport

Sports tech and media rights company TGI Sport has acquired virtual advertising specialist Supponor.

Supponor owns proprietary technologies and software that delivers virtual ads (as pictured above) across thousands of live sports broadcasts worldwide.

Following the acquisition, the company will join a portfolio of companies centred on virtual ad tech.

Supponor will operate within TGI Sport’s technology division, adding its complementary capabilities to other recent TGI Sport acquisitions including virtual advertising company Brand Brigade and media rights and production companies ISG and Sportseen.

The deal is scheduled to close mid-summer.

Since 2019, TGI Sport has been a Supponor minority shareholder, collaborating on several projects with the 24-year-old company.

Supponor’s AIR technology and experienced AI tech developers further bolsters TGI Sport’s Virtual Tech offering, while Supponor’s commercial and R&D teams add to TGI Sport’s leadership in tech development.

TGI can now bring to the market a fully integrated model to create unparalleled monetisation opportunities for its clients.

Since 2020, the NBA, MLB, Formula 1, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, MLS and regional sports networks have begun using virtual ads in live broadcasts. TGI Sport’s tech and software will support virtual advertising integrated into more than 4,000 live sports productions this year. Its clients include NHL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. TGI is also working with MLS on its Apple partnership. 

TGI Sport CEO Martin Jolly, said: “We are delighted to welcome Supponor fully into the TGI Sport group. With this latest acquisition, we are establishing the industry’s best practice in a growth sector with tremendous momentum. We are also positioning TGI Sport to capitalise on all the new opportunities built around AI and, in doing so, maintaining our standing as the leader of live sports technology development and media rights sales well into the future. Combining our collective resources with their incredible potential is very exciting for all of us.”

Sir Martin Broughton, chairman of Supponor, adds: “We are thrilled with the outcome of this transaction. The company began as Virtual Advertising Solutions (VAS) in 2001 and has for more than two decades built a robust and innovative company that in 2021 launched Supponor AIR, an AI-driven by machine learning solution to virtual advertising in live sport. The decision by TGI Sport to fully acquire Supponor validates the hard work of our entire team and underscores their confidence in the long-term vision and potential of Supponor. We are confident that TGI Sport will continue to drive the company forward with the same commitment to excellence and innovation that has been our hallmark.”

Advising TGI Sport on the transaction were:  Simpson Thacher, PwC, and Axis Arbor. Supponor was advised by Hogan Lovells, Grant Thornton, and BDO.