Affiliate group Catena Media has announced the acquisition of US-facing online sports affiliation business Lineups.com for $39.6m.
The purchase price is payable in cash in three instalments over a two-year period, including an up-front payment of $25.0m on closing, $9.6m one year after the deal goes through and $5.0m two years after the acquisition completes.
An additional contingent cash payment of $500,000 will also be due if certain requirements are fulfilled within three years of the transaction date, including if New York legalizes sports betting during that period.
Lineups.com specialises in analytics, betting predictions and tools, providing confirmed and projected starting line-ups and rosters for major US sports leagues such as the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.
For the 12 months to April 30, 2021, Lineups.com reported $7.5m in sales, with its sales in the first quarter of 2021 equating to approximately 10% of Catena’s total revenue.
Catena added that the acquisition will have a direct positive effect on its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) from today (May 4).
Sam Shefrin, the seller and founder of Lineups.com, will remain involved with the business by serving as an exclusive consultant to Catena.
“The acquisition of Lineups.com strengthens Catena Media’s leading position in the growing US betting market with a complementary product that fits perfectly into our existing US portfolio,” Catena chief executive Michael Daly said.
“It gives us a second, even stronger, national sports betting affiliation site, alongside thelines.com. This will allow us to capture more market share across North America, as well as to take advantage of shared tools across multiple Catena Media sites.”
Last month, Catena said it expected to report a year-on-year increase in both revenue and adjusted EBITDA for its first quarter, helped by a “strong performance” in the US.
Revenue for the three months to 31 March is forecast to amount to between $47.1m and $48.6m, which would represent an increase of 46% to 51%, while adjusted EBITDA could be as high as $30.1m for the period.