The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a preliminary review into Sportradar’s proposed $225 million (€193 million) acquisition of IMG Arena from Endeavor Group. The regulator is concerned that the deal could harm competition in the sports betting data and media rights markets.
Sportradar, which has partnerships with global sports and esports entities, announced the deal in March 2024, aiming to integrate IMG Arena’s extensive portfolio of media rights and data services. However, the CMA fears that combining two of the sector’s major players may reduce competition in the U.K., impacting pricing, service innovation, and market access for smaller competitors.
Should the acquisition proceed, Sportradar would inherit IMG Arena’s rights to approximately 70 global betting properties, including 39,000 official data events and 30,000 live-streamed events annually. These include high-profile tournaments like Wimbledon, the US Open, and PGA Tour.
Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl emphasized the strategic value of the acquisition, saying it would allow the group to “realise the full economic potential” of the IMG Arena portfolio.
The transaction’s financial structure includes $125 million paid to Sportradar by Endeavor and $100 million in repayments from Endeavor to IMG Arena’s rightsholders. Sportradar will also assume operational costs for the unit.
CMA raises market dominance concerns on Sportradar’s IMG acquisition
The U.K. CMA is now seeking input from industry stakeholders to evaluate whether the merger would create what it calls a “relevant merger situation” that could lead to a “substantial lessening of competition” in the U.K.
“The CMA is considering whether it is or may be the case that this transaction, if carried into effect, will result in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002,” the regulator stated.
“This invitation to comment is the first part of the CMA’s information-gathering process. To assist it with this assessment, the CMA invites comments on the transaction from any interested party,” it added.
The inquiry comes at a time of increased scrutiny of consolidation in the sports data and betting tech sector. Sportradar already holds major partnerships with sports bodies such as the NBA and MLB, and esports giant Riot Games. Adding IMG Arena could potentially give it a dominant grip on the U.K. and global markets.
The CMA launched its “invitation to comment” on July 11, with submissions open until July 25. After this consultation period, the authority will decide whether to escalate the matter to a formal Phase 1 investigation. This outcome could have wider implications for future mergers and acquisitions in the sports and esports betting ecosystem, particularly around how regulators assess data market concentration.
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