Germany’s EM.Sport Media (FRA:EV4) is getting more serious about online content. Amongst a series of announcements made in Munich this morning, the company said it is planning “significant growth” through community, user-generated content and video in particular:-
– The company has sold a stake of up to 10 percent in its Sport1 web portal to three German brothers who founded mobile content operator Jamba. Marc, Oliver and Alexander Samwer’s European Founders Fund, a VC house, took the stake to help EM “develop new business and marketing models within sectors such as video and community”. The Samwers started Alando.de and Jamba before selling to eBay and Verisign for $50 million and $273 million respectively; they’re also behind MyVideo.de the StudiVZ student social network.
– EM.Sport Media bought an 80 percent stake in Bavaria-based Kupferwerk, a developer of online communities for brands including Siemens and Bosch. The deal is likely to lead to stronger community and participation features in Sport1 properties.
– Sport1 also went live with Sports Freunde, media-sharing site fixed on letting sports fans document and learn more about their own sporting activities. It’s Sport1’s third site launch after men’s site Hombrero.
Sport1 currently claims 2.6 million unique monthly users. EM.Sport Media subsidiaries include DSF, the free-to-air TV broadcaster that has rights to Germany’s Bundesliga, the UEFA Cup, Formula 1, Handball World and European Championships, Ice Hockey World Championship, Basketball European Championship, the Davis Cup and Wimbledon.