PE targets fragmented sports services market as M&A activity doubles

Private equity firms and other financial backers are increasingly targeting the fragmented sports services market, with over 246,000 privately-held companies identified as potential acquisition opportunities, according to Grata research. M&A activity in this fragmented sector has more than doubled over the past decade, with 76% of the industry consisting of privately-owned entities.

The United States hosts the largest pool of privately-owned sports services companies, numbering approximately 88,000, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom. While sports betting is the smallest segment in terms of company count, it shows the fastest growth, expanding at an average annual rate of 51%. Growth patterns vary across regions, with athlete performance and training leading in the US, leagues and teams in EMEA, and media, broadcasting, and streaming booming in APAC.

Over 21,600 sports services businesses have indicated a willingness to sell, with 932 classified as highly interested in a transaction. Grata's analysis identifies 128 actionable companies that were previously undetected. The growing presence of private equity in this sector coincides with structural changes in the sports industry, including new investment avenues for private capital in team and league ownership, shifts in college athletics revenue-sharing and name, image, and likeness arrangements, the expansion of legal sports betting, and the fragmentation of media rights among broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Strategic buyers have been the primary force behind sports services transactions since 2017, but financial sponsors have been steadily increasing their share of deal activity since 2021. Recent transactions highlight investor interest in various areas, such as college sports media, commercial distribution, and mass-participation fitness.