Deal / 13 Sep 2022
We have advised private equity firm NorthEdge on its investment into Friend MTS, a leading global provider of video content security services.
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Birmingham, with offices in Europe and the US, Friend MTS provides content owners, broadcasters and operators with advanced security and platform protection solutions, including network threat intelligence, forensic watermarking and global media discovery optimised with automated content recognition.
Rachel Cox, associate and one of the advisers on the transaction, said: “We are delighted to have delivered this deal for NorthEdge and work alongside the wider NorthEdge team and their other advisers on one of their largest investments to date. I wish them and the management team much success for the future.”
Friend MTS’ Emmy® Award winning products have established it as one of the foremost content security providers to the global sports, media and entertainment industries, with long-term contracted revenues from blue-chip clients including Sky, UEFA, Serie A, Warner Bros Discovery, Rogers and United Group amongst many others, serviced by its unified global cybersecurity SaaS platform.
NorthEdge is backing Friend MTS’ leadership team, including Jonathan Friend, founder, and Mark Scotter, chief financial officer and head of corporate development, to accelerate product investment and global expansion across existing markets as well as adjacent verticals.
The investment will enable Friend MTS to meet the increasing requirements of content producers and delivery platforms worldwide, providing additional innovative services to both new and existing customers. It will also support the business to further invest in its people, increasing headcount in the commercial and technology engineering teams.