European digital sports media publisher Skores Media has announced investment holding companies Stags Participations and MI3 and minority shareholders in the business.
The transaction forms part of a primary leveraged buyout (LBO), with the aim of accelerating the company’s development. Stags and MI3 become minority shareholders alongside the founders of Skores Media.
Using this new financial backing, coupled with structured debt from banks Société Générale, BNP Paribas and BPI, Skores Media will work to further develop its offering. This includes pursuing the international expansion of its flagship brands, with the business counting SportyTrader and Skores among its products.
Founded in 2009, Skores Media is a website and mobile application publisher, focused on sports fans. It has over five million monthly unique visitors, 60 million visits per month and four million fans across social networks.
Based in Europe, Skores Media recently launched specific versions tailored for the African and South American markets. In addition, the business last year acquired a sports news website in the UK market.
Key growth phase for Skores Media
Skores Media co-founder Christian de Cailleux welcomed the new financial and strategic backing. He said this marks a “key stage” in the company’s growth plans.
“Since the beginning, we have worked and invested relentlessly in the development of our products,” de Cailleux said. “The enhancement of our content to offer the best of sports information to our community and best cater to the ever-changing expectations of sports fans.
“Stags Participations and MI3’s entry into the capital, with the support of top-tier banks, bears witness to the progress made and the maturity achieved by our group, owing to the quality of the work carried out by all our teams. They will be assisting us in this new key stage of our growth.”
Stags managing partner Grégoire de Castelnau also spoke highly of Skores Media, praising its “sustained growth” in recent years.
“We are convinced that the group’s technological and editorial expertise, as well as its ability to capture international audiences, are all major assets that will make Skores Media a major player in the global digital sports information market,” de Castelnau said.
MI3 executive director Jérôme Dhamelincourt added: “We’re excited to be playing an active part in the Skores Media adventure and to be supporting a team of talented entrepreneurs whom we’ve been following from the very beginning.
“The online sports media market is flourishing. Skores Media is well-equipped to become a market leader.”
