SDI Media Group, the world’s largest provider of subtitling and language dubbing services to the entertainment industry, is being acquired by Elevation Partners in a secondary private equi
SDI Media Group, the world’s largest provider of subtitling and language dubbing services to the entertainment industry, is being acquired by Elevation Partners in a secondary private equity transaction from Warburg Pincus, which acquired SDI Media in 2004.
SDI Media Group is the world’s largest provider of localisation services for media and entertainment companies. Through its global translation network of more than 650 employees and 4,000 freelancers, SDI provides foreign language subtitling and dubbing for the theatrical, home entertainment, broadcast and new media distribution of entertainment content.
‘The explosion of digital distribution formats is transforming the media and entertainment industry, changing the way our clients distribute their content globally in a variety of formats and languages,’ says SDI Media president and chief executive Barry Perlstein.
‘Elevation’s operational and financial experience, along with their deep insights and industry relationships, will help us continue to meet our clients’ complex needs in this rapidly changing market. We are extremely pleased about this new arrangement and believe it will have long-term benefits for our clients and our employees.’
Bret Pearlman, co-founder and managing director of Elevation Partners, says: ‘SDI Media plays an important role in facilitating the delivery of content to a growing client base across the globe. We believe that SDI Media and its management team will continue to build on its history of technological innovation and industry leadership.’
The terms of the deal, which is anticipated to close next month, were not disclosed. Allen & Company acted as financial advisors to SDI Media Group and Warburg Pincus.
Los Angeles-based SDI Media counts the world’s leading media and entertainment groups among its client. The firm is the only one of its kind with subtitling and dubbing operations in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and operates in 29 countries worldwide with regional hubs in London, Copenhagen, Mexico City and Hong Kong. SDI Media translates movies, TV shows, interactive games, and other multimedia content into more than 60 languages.
Elevation Partners is a USD1.9 billion private equity firm that makes investments in market-leading media, entertainment, and consumer-related businesses that focuses on investing in intellectual property and content oriented businesses, as well as traditional media and entertainment companies.
Elevation’s five partners are Fred Anderson, former chief financial officer of Apple Computer, Pearlman, a former senior managing director of the Blackstone Group, Marc Bodnick, a founding principal of Silver Lake Partners, Roger McNamee, co-founder of Silver Lake Partners and Integral Capital Partners, and Bono, poverty campaigner and lead singer with Irish rock band U2.
