Outside broadcast specialist NEP Group has secured a $700m equity investment from a group of co-investors led by the company 26North Partners LP (26North).
Carlyle, NEP’s existing investor, is one of the companies contributing to the investment alongside 26North and will remain its largest shareholder.
26North was founded in 2022 by Josh Harris, the Founder of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment and the Managing Partner of the Washington Commanders.
NEP has also completed a comprehensive debt refinancing, which reportedly enhances its capital structure and reduces its debt levels.
NEP has credits as a media services and live events partner for live productions such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the World Cup, the PGA Championship, Premier League football, Wimbledon, Eurovision Song Contest, the Oscars and major global events like the recent NATO Summit.
Credit: NEP Group
NEP said the deals would allow it to accelerate investment in its global operations, product development, and new partnerships.
Martin Stewart, CEO of NEP Group, said: “We’re thrilled to take NEP to the next level with outstanding capital partners at our side. Josh brings exceptional expertise in creating one of the world’s leading sports and entertainment portfolios, and he and the 26North team have a proven track record of growing businesses across industries. We also couldn’t be more pleased to have earned the continued trust and support of Carlyle.
“We remain committed to investing in our people, technology, and dynamic facilities to deliver the innovation, scale, and reliability that our clients have relied on for 40 years. We’re beginning our next 40 years with great momentum.”
Mark Weinberg, Head of Private Equity at 26North, said: “NEP represents the kind of business we seek to invest in: a global market leader with a stellar reputation for service delivery, technical expertise, and innovation that keeps customers coming back for compelling storytelling around their most important events and experiences.”
NEP Europe recently appointed Ed Tischler as Managing Director of NEP UK. Discover more here.
ITV launches Live Addressable+ with Omnicom
ITV, the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, has officially launched its live broadcast addressable advertising product, Live Addressable+, with an exclusive beta trial in partnership with Omnicom Media Group.
Enghouse Networks partners with INVIDI
Telecoms and media specialist Enghouse Networks and addressable TV advertising provider INVIDI Technologies have announced a new integration that reportedly expands advanced advertising capabilities across IP video environments.
Sports content races ahead in SVOD – Gracenote
Analysis by Gracenote, the content intelligence business unit of Nielsen, has shown that sports have quickly become a foundational part of the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) content mix and now make up 5% of overall programming on leading services.
Bitmovin wins MUBI deal
Video streaming software specialist Bitmovin has been selected by film company MUBI as its cloud VOD encoding partner for its streaming platform.
Subtitles usage booms in UK, but many ads still need sound – report
Research from advertising platform XR Extreme Reach has found that subtitles have become mainstream viewing behaviour across streaming, social, and broadcast content in the UK, particularly among younger audiences.
.jpg)