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Better Collective has expanded its international media portfolio with the acquisition of four Swedish websites from the Everysport Group.
The four sites in question are SvenskaFans.com, HockeySverige.se, Fotbolldirekt.se and Innebandymagazinet.se, which have a combined monthly viewership of nine million in Sweden.
Conducted at a total purchase price of €3.7m, the transaction will be paid for in three instalments and financed with cash. Denmark-based Better Collective anticipates continued momentum for its group-wide operations post-acquisition, maintaining course to its 2023 financial targets.
Jesper Søgaard, Better Collective CEO, said: “An important pillar in Better Collective’s strategy is to acquire leading national sports media with strong brands and a loyal and returning following.
“That’s why these sports media brands fit perfectly into our portfolio. We expect the media to deliver additional growth for our business in Sweden, adding to our leading market position within affiliation and expansion towards general advertisement.
“We are very excited to bring onboard one of the strongest sports news teams in Sweden and make them part of Better Collective. With our vision to become the leading digital sports media group, we want to be the go-to partner for any brand wanting to gain exposure and engagement among sport fans. This acquisition takes us one step further on that journey.”
Based in Denmark, Better Collective has a long-standing foothold in Sweden for its sports betting and sports media publishing businesses, having strengthened its standing in the market back in 2021 via the acquisition of Rekatochklart.com.
The company has highlighted what it believes are some core synergies between its existing commercial ambitions and those of its new Swedish properties, fitting in with its strategy of acquiring ‘leading local sports with a strong brand’.
By acquiring the sites, Better Collective is seeking to entrench itself as a ‘key partner’ for Swedish advertisers, whilst also targeting an upgrade of the sites’ revenue streams – which have so far been limited to traditional advertising and subscriptions – and incorporate new technology and SEO expertise to further grow traffic.
Breaking down the new holdings, SvenskaFans is the largest online sports fan community in Sweden with monthly visitors of five million for game reports interviews, chronicles and podcasts – as well as YouTube content via the FanTV channel – from over 750 active contributors acquired over a 23-year period.
As its name suggests, HockeySverige.se is an ice hockey news network across a website, YouTube and social media with 2.2 million monthly visits for its content covering the NHL, Champions Hockey League (CHL), Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and HockeyAllsvenskan.
Fotbolldirekt.se, meanwhile, focuses on Swedish and international football and has 1.1 million monthly visitors, whilst InnebandyMagazinet is the country’s biggest floorball site covering the Swedish domestic leagues and national teams with 500,000 monthly visitors.
Hannes Andersson, CEO of Everysport Group, remarked: “We are proud to have developed the websites into some of Sweden’s largest news media in their respective sports. In addition, we have successfully commercialised the brands and in all cases also turned a negative financial development into good profitability.
“Today’s deal confirms Everysport’s digital innovation and execution capabilities and is a logical next step for both the brands and the Group. We are convinced that Better Collective is a strong and long-term owner who will continue to develop the brands in a meritorious way. We wish both them and the employees all the best.”
