MarketCast Group Acquires Turnkey Intelligence

MarketCast Group – A Global Leader in the Consumer Insights Industry – Acquires Sports Research and Advisory Firm, Turnkey Intelligence

MarketCast Group, a global leader in the consumer insights industry, announces today that it has acquired Turnkey Intelligence, a preeminent sports research and advisory firm. Turnkey Intelligence has been providing best-in-class research, consulting, and analytics to teams, leagues, agencies, and brands for more than 20 years, offering a full suite of data-driven services – including fan experience tracking, sponsorship valuation and efficacy, ticketing strategy, and creative/media optimization – to hundreds of sports clients. Their solutions range from full- to self-service and are led by industry experts with more than 100 combined years of experience.

Turnkey Intelligence, headquartered in the Philadelphia area, joins the MarketCast Group alongside global social media analytics and insights firm Fizziology, which was recently acquired by MarketCast last year. The two companies will work in collaboration to provide their sports and brand clients with even more robust and timely sponsorship and fan experience insights. MarketCast Group is a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, a leading private equity firm headquartered in New York.

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“I’m excited for the future of Turnkey Intelligence with MarketCast Group,” said Len Perna, selling shareholder and founder of Turnkey Intelligence. “For over 20 years, Turnkey Intelligence has been a trusted partner to some of the biggest names in sports. Combining with MarketCast Group and their family of best-in-class companies will allow the team to offer even more to our 250+ clients.” Mr. Perna will join the newly-established Turnkey Intelligence Advisory Board, while Turnkey Intelligence will continue to be led by its current executive leadership team consisting of talented experts in the fields of sports research, analytics, branding, and sponsorship evaluation.

“We are thrilled to welcome Turnkey Intelligence and this talented management team to MarketCast Group,” said CEO Henry Shapiro. “We are media and entertainment research experts, working across film, TV, and video games. Adding a data-driven leader in the world of sports research and analytics gives us a 360-degree view into how people spend their free time and invest their passion.”

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“We are pleased to support MarketCast Group’s acquisition of Turnkey Intelligence, and look forward to continuing to support the company going forward,” said David Lorch, Vice President at Kohlberg & Company. “This acquisition, our second add-on in the past year, provides a significant step forward in MarketCast Group’s goal of becoming the global leader in the consumer insights industry.”

JEGI, a leading independent investment bank for the media, information, marketing, and software sectors, served as financial advisor to MarketCast, and Ropes & Gray LLP served as legal counsel to MarketCast. Antares Capital, Madison Capital, and Ares Capital provided debt financing for the transaction.

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