German broadcaster Sport1 Medien has divested its majority stake in Match IQ to Onside Sports. Financial details remain undisclosed. This follows the arrival of Turkish media company Acunmedya as a 50% Sport1 shareholder earlier this year, prompting a shift towards entertainment programming.
Match IQ, established in 2013, is a full-service event and sports consultancy agency. Their clientele includes notable football clubs such as Schalke 04, Eintracht Frankfurt, VfL Wolfsburg, FC Porto, Ajax Amsterdam, and PSV Eindhoven. Onside Sports, which specialises in arranging friendly matches and training camps for professional football clubs, views this acquisition as a significant boost to its market presence. “We build our network continuously and work with full energy to create optimal conditions for our partners,” stated Henning Rießelmann, Managing Director of Onside. “With the acquisition of Match IQ, we underline our ambition to remain the number one destination for professional pre-season preparations.”
Nicholas MacGowan von Holstein, Founder and Managing Director of Match IQ, commented on the transition: “We have had a successful journey with Sport1 and have built strong partnerships with clubs and hotels over the years,” he said. “I’m convinced that this new step will benefit all our partners. Henning Rießelmann and his team at Onside have built a great company with a strong reputation, and it feels right to place our business – and the trust of our partners – into such capable hands.”
The sale aligns with Sport1’s broader strategic shift, evident in the recent launch of its streaming platform, show1.tv. This platform features entertainment programs like My Style Rocks, MasterChef Germany, Power of Love, and Exatlon Germany, targeting a younger demographic. The divestment of Match IQ and the launch of show1.tv clearly illustrate Sport1’s move towards an entertainment-focused strategy, amplified by its partnership with Acunmedya.