Infront acquires majority shareholding in Omnigon
Infront Sports & Media has purchased a 51 percent stake in Omnigon, one of the leading digital services firms within the sports and entertainment industries. The investment, effective immediately, makes Infront the majority shareholder of Omnigon and follows the successful initiation of a strategic partnership announced in October 2015.
The acquisition supports the full deployment of Infront Digital Solutions, providing clients with advanced services across the entire digital ecosystem and value chain from one central source – including strategy and monetisation.
Complementing Infront’s existing digital service capabilities, Omnigon will retain its current brand identity and continue to operate as a standalone entity. The successful management team, led by CEO Igor Ulis, will remain. Omnigon, headquartered in New York, has 250+ staff in offices across North America and Europe. The company has established itself as a market leader in digital services, as it counts some of the world’s largest brands as partners including the PGA TOUR, NASCAR and the Miami Heat. In 2015, Omnigon designed and developed the award-winning official Rugby World Cup mobile app, downloaded by millions globally, and just last month launched an all-new website on behalf of AS Roma.
Omnigon will contribute its proven expertise, technological and creative know-how to the Infront Group’s digital expert unit and its extensive product portfolio. Precisely, Infront Digital Solutions offers services in three key areas along the digital value chain: overall digital strategy and monetisation, creative and technology services, and content delivery. The majority of Omnigon’s services complement the first and the second stream; they will become the key driver of technological solutions within the Infront Group.
A central team operating from the Infront headquarters links all of Infront’s digital operations and coordinates the services contributed by the different expert units within the group. This includes dedicated content, production and technological expertise, provided through Infront’s digital media and post production department as well as its subsidiaries Host Broadcast Services (HBS) and Omnigon.
Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, said: “Our target is to be both a thought leader and a global premium service provider for digital solutions. During the initial strategic partnership with Omnigon, it became apparent that the company ideally complements the existing Wanda Sports businesses with its digital know-how and solutions. It is now my pleasure to warmly welcome all Omnigon employees to the Infront Group. Supporting clients to leverage and monetize sports consumption across the digital landscape and remain at the forefront of development, we will offer powerful one-stop-shop solutions as well as custom- made products. With our strengthened Infront Digital Solutions unit and service portfolio we want to drive digital progress, particularly in Europe, North America and Asia.”
Igor Ulis, CEO of Omnigon, added: “Recent months have fully convinced us that Omnigon fits very well within Infront’s team and culture, its working approach and client focus. Our current clients can be assured their points of contact at Omnigon and the high-quality level of support and delivery they’ve become accustomed to will remain unchanged. There is tremendous upside as this now means our clients will have access to an even broader service portfolio. We are fully convinced this step will help us elevate Omnigon to the next level, benefitting from the overall competencies, skills and network of the Infront Group. We are looking forward to working with Infront in this new capacity, bringing an even stronger value proposition to the sports industry, while supporting new and existing partners in exciting ways.”
In the past few months, Infront and Omnigon have collaborated on several key projects. Work is underway to develop a new app for the German Football Association’s DFB Cup and provide digital services to Lega Serie A. Leveraging Omnigon’s experience from projects with the largest properties in the North American sports market, Infront and Omnigon will continue working together to design and build scalable, innovative digital platforms that enhance the fan experience everywhere, increasing the loyalty and engagement of the fans while building additional revenue streams for the partners.