ELEVEN SPORTS NETWORK Ltd and leading commercial broadcaster in Poland, Telewizja Polsat Sp. z o. o., have commenced a strategic partnership in Poland.
Polsat and ELEVEN SPORTS have executed an agreement regarding the acquisition of a significant stake in ELEVEN SPORTS Poland which sees Polsat become a strategic partner of ELEVEN SPORTS in the Polish market. The transaction enables ELEVEN SPORTS to consolidate its position as the fastest growing sports platform in Poland and enhance its offering for sports fans across the country.
In 2015 ELEVEN entered what was believed to be an impenetrable market dominated by recognised brands, and today the platform delivers in Poland premium sports action to around two million subscribers, its high-quality programming is carried by more than 100 operators, it runs its own OTT platform and has four channels, including a 4K service.
ELEVEN SPORTS’ subscribers in Poland will continue to enjoy the platform’s high-quality programming, which features some of the world’s biggest and best sports properties including LaLiga Santander, Bundesliga, Serie A TIM and F1™. ELEVEN’s offer will continue to go from strength to strength, adhering to the same pioneering strategy that has seen the platform secure several national awards since its inception in 2015.
The agreement also supports ELEVEN’s global expansion plans with more new markets and several digital projects set to be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
“We are very proud of what we have achieved in under three years in Poland thanks to our fantastic local management team,” said Marc Watson, Executive Chairman and Group CEO, ELEVEN SPORTS. “The agreement of this partnership with Telewizja Polsat is testament to our outstanding financial and operational success to date and our potential for further dynamic growth and development. This is an extremely exciting time for ELEVEN SPORTS and we look forward to working towards the new opportunities that the agreement presents, locally in Poland and internationally on a global scale.”
Telewizja Polsat has invested in sports for almost 20 years, providing Polish sports fans with access to some of the best and the most important events from a variety of sports. This is a natural stage of the development and another strategic investment for the broadcaster which aims to create consistent quality programming for millions of viewers who watch Grupa Polsat channels on a daily basis.
“Sport has always been extremely important to our Group, our viewers and subscribers. For almost 20 years it has been one of the programming pillars of Telewizja Polsat and Cyfrowy Polsat. By having Polish fans at heart, we consistently develop our sports offer, launch new channels and bring important events to Poland. We have great experience in both production and execution, we cooperate with top commentators and experts, and we know what it is that viewers expect. Thanks to the strategic agreement with ELEVEN SPORTS we will strengthen our offer, make it even more appealing and continue to provide more real sports emotions,” said Maciej Stec, Member of the Management Board of Telewizja Polsat and Cyfrowy Polsat.
World-class sport will remain at the core of ELEVEN SPORTS’ offer in Poland. Fans can enjoy top European football from LaLiga Santander, Bundesliga, Serie A TIM and The Emirates FA Cup. Formula 1™ followers can watch all the races, qualifications and training sessions exclusively on ELEVEN. The platform’s premium rights portfolio also includes ATP 250 tennis tournaments and sports that are extremely popular in Poland including VELUX EHF Champions League handball, MMA, and speedway such as Polish Nice 1. Liga Żużlowa, Swedish Elitserien, British SGB Premiership and selected matches of the Polish Speedway National Team.
A new ELEVEN SPORTS Poland management board will be appointed which features two members from each of Telewizja Polsat and ELEVEN SPORTS. As part of the transaction, Maciej Stec will become President of the Management Board of ELEVEN SPORTS NETWORK Sp. z. o.o. Krzysztof Świergiel, current Managing Director of ELEVEN SPORTS NETWORK Sp. z. o.o., will become CEO of the company. All senior management of ELEVEN SPORTS NETWORK Sp. z. o.o. will maintain their current positions.
ELEVEN SPORTS was founded in 2015 by media entrepreneur Andrea Radrizzani through his company Aser, an investment company which in a short space of time has built a strong portfolio and a far-reaching network across the media and sport sectors.
The transaction valued ELEVEN SPORTS NETWORK Sp. z. o.o. at an Enterprise Value of approximately EUR 80 million.
Greenberg Traurig Grzesiak sp.k. was the legal advisor to Telewizja Polsat Sp. z o.o. and Bird&Bird was the legal advisor to ELEVEN SPORTS. Trigon acted as a financial advisor to Telewizja Polsat Sp. z o.o.
