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Bruin Sports Capital to acquire Two Circles

Bruin Sports Capital has reached an agreement with WPP to acquire data analytics, sports marketing and technology practice Two Circles.

Two Circles specialises in areas such as ticketing, sponsorship, stadium redevelopment and subscriptions. WPP will continue to hold a minority stake in Two Circles following the acquisition, providing the agency’s clients with continued access to WPP, its global network and brand clients.

Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed and the deal is subject to regulatory approval.

Two Circles’ clients include the NFL, Premier League, UEFA, Formula 1 and Wimbledon, as well as various other leagues, teams, tournaments and federations. The agency has 180 employees across four offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Bern.

In 2019, Two Circles helped deliver record attendances for events such as the Cricket World Cup and golf’s Open Championship.

Bruin Sports Capital founder and chief executive George Pyne said: “As we look to the future of the sports economy, everything we do will trace back to how well we can leverage consumer data intelligence to spur growth.

“Two Circles has been way ahead of the industry on this and has developed a new breed of agency that serves every business unit of a sports organisation. We are excited to have them formally join Bruin and look forward to working even more closely with their great team.”

Two Circles co-founder and chief executive Gareth Balch added: “The sports industry is moving from a B2B model to a direct-to-consumer model where growth will be centred around a direct relationship between sports and fans.

“Over the last eight years, we believe we have built proven models that can take sports properties on this journey. With Bruin’s backing, experience, and relationships in global sport, we have the perfect platform to enter the next phase of commercial growth – both for our clients and as an agency.”

The agreement comes after Bruin’s recent partnership with CVC Capital Partners and The Jordan Company, through which the firms committed an initial $600m (£449m/€538m) to build “high-performing” and “next-generation” sports and entertainment properties.

Two Circles has had a relationship with Bruin since 2017, having served as the marketing arm for OverTier, a venture created by Bruin to operate NFL Game Pass, the American football league’s premium subscription service.

Image: viganhajdari

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