DMC Production has taken a major step in its ongoing European expansion with the acquisitions of two German production and facilities firms: Plazamedia and RT1.TV.
The companies will be merged under the new banner DMC Production Germany, marking DMC’s entry into its sixth country.
DMC’s aim is to become a major player in remote production to help clients cut costs and reduce their environmental impact, with the company operating one of Europe’s largest remote sports production hubs in Copenhagen where it serves TV 2, ESPN, and Viaplay.
Speaking with SVG Europe, Paul Henriksen Heitmann, CEO of DMC Production, said the aim would be to swiftly merge and rebrand the two companies and introduce “proper” remote production to Germany.
Based just outside Munich, Plazamedia, previously a Sport1 Medien GmbH subsidiary, is a full-service content provider that works across premium live-sport production. Its clients include DAZN, ZDF, Sportfive, Sport1 and Servus TV. Its facilities include an IP-based broadcast centre, 20 graphics suites, 26 edits and over 30 playouts plus 3,000 sqm of studio production space.
RT1.TV mobile.production, formerly part of the rt1.media group, operates six OB vans and two SNG trucks across Germany. Its clients include ORF, CNN, RTL, Sky and Sport1.
Heitmann said “This merger is not about technology alone – it’s about delivering smarter, faster, and more sustainable productions across the full media chain. By joining forces with two longstanding and valued partners in the industry, DMC is now positioned to offer end-to- end services spanning remote production, OB production, studios, post-production, MCR, playout, streaming, and distribution.
“With this expanded capability, we are ready to become the trusted go-to partner for broadcasters, rights-holders, and corporate media clients across the region”
Following the deals, Plazamedia’s current managing director, Jens Friedrichs, will continue to lead the business. Holger Ensslin steps in as the MD of RT1 and undertakes the role to structure and execute the merge of the companies. He will also take on the overall responsibility of DMC Production Germany.
Looking ahead, Heitmann said DMC would continue with its expansion, with Switzerland and Austria mentioned as well as the UK and Ireland. Heitmann said that DMC could look at further acquisitions or opt to grow organically.
In February it was announced that Coral Tree Partners, a Los Angeles-based sports, media and entertainment-focused investment firm, had agreed to invest over €50 million in support of DMC Production’s future growth.
Coral Tree’s ambition is to support DMC’s growth into a major European player as well as to bring the company’s innovative ways of working into the US market.
In May this year, DMC acquired Stockholm-based Rego Production AB and Rego Racing AB. At the time, DMC said the aim was to “deliver cost-effective productions based on technically innovative solutions” and that “by combining cloud-based and software-defined workflows with artificial intelligence, new opportunities are created to automate, scale and streamline the entire production chain – from planning to delivery”.
In 2022, Stena Adactum became the majority owner. That same year, DMC acquired Suora Broadcast in Finland. Suora handles over 2,000 live broadcasts annually, including coverage of the Finnish Hockey League, national ice hockey matches, and harness racing, while also offering playout solutions for several key clients.
2022 also saw DMC sign a landmark agreement with TV 2 Norway to deliver over 6,500 live productions over six years. This includes 750 annual multi-camera productions covering football, handball and ice hockey, alongside approximately 6,000 fully automated AI-driven productions for lower leagues, distributed through TV 2’s OTT platform, TV 2 Play.
The partnership with TV 2 enabled DMC to construct a broadcast and VAR centre in Oslo. Equipped with the latest technologies from Grass Valley, EVS, and Riedel, the facility can manage nine simultaneous multi-camera productions.
