Bruin Sports Capital (Bruin) has reached an agreement with Quadrant Private Equity (Quadrant) to become co-owner of global sports technology, media, and marketing company TGI Sport (TGI) to further power the company’s international expansion, distribution, and commercial growth.
The deal, subject to regulatory approval, will see Barclay Nettlefold transition from QMS Media Group CEO to TGI Sport Global CEO upon closure.
The new partnership will build on TGI’s impressive growth, adding the strategic capabilities, capital and resources of Bruin to diversify and expand worldwide. It follows a series of acquisitions over the last two years that has transformed TGI into an elite technology-led sports enterprise. TGI’s advertising and broadcast technologies are omnipresent across some of international sports’ most prestigious venues and events and have included the likes of UEFA, La Liga, LNR, MLS, England Cricket, New Zealand Rugby, Concacaf, and CONMEBOL.
TGI’s Parallel Ads (PADS) broadcast technology continues to change the way broadcasters and sporting bodies can segment and regionalise perimeter LED advertising, unlocking new revenue streams and providing greater engagement and value for advertisers, rights holders, and sponsors. PADS is being utilised across four continents by organisations such as the MLS, NZ Rugby, Liga MX, AS Monaco FC, plus many more premier sporting codes.
Complementing TGI’s tech-led solutions is an industry-leading and fully integrated sports marketing services practice across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, including talent management, merchandising, consultancy, media sales event management, content and communications.
Founder and CEO of Bruin, George Pyne, says Quadrant and TGI’s growth, ability to scale and complementary portfolio made them the ideal partner to extend Bruin’s leadership into new and existing markets.
“TGI is precisely the type of company we look for at Bruin. Quadrant, Barclay and the leadership team are progressive, innovative, and understand how to create value for partners in the new sports and entertainment ecosystem,” he says.
“The team has significant momentum, and we are proud that they’ve chosen Bruin to help accelerate the company’s trajectory. We are excited to help bring its market-leading technology, capabilities and talents to a much broader global scale.”
Quadrant Managing Partner and QMS Group Chairman, Jonathon Pearce says Bruin’s track record of growing global sports and entertainment businesses made them the perfect partner to maximise the potential of TGI.
“We set out to create a world-leading technology led sports media business,” he says. “With technology in place and already showing significant opportunity, partnering with George and the Bruin team provides TGI with a highly qualified partner to ensure the business is able to reach its full potential.”
The partnership will also see QMS Group CEO and Founder, Barclay Nettlefold step into the new role of TGI Sport’s Global CEO to lead the new business on its ambitious growth path to become the leading global tech and sport business. Over the past two years, Nettlefold has been instrumental in developing investments and partnerships across sports, media and technology that have become the nucleus of TGI.
Nettlefold says: “We searched worldwide for the right cultural partner to help execute our strategic vision for TGI. George and his team at Bruin are genuine operators who have built trust, respect, and relationships throughout the sporting world which makes them the perfect partner to continue our trajectory with the right investment and thinking to create something of real global value.
“The world we live in is changing rapidly, but sport globally continues to remain a true connector to audiences and I look forward to continuing our momentum and guiding the Company’s future evolution.”
