Thursday 18th September 2014 – Kingston, Jamaica
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Digicel Group COO, Andy Thorburn, and Patrick Rousseau, Chairman of IMC
and SportsMax (front row left and right) celebrate with Phillip Martin,
Deputy Chairman of IMC and Sportsmax (standing left) and Oliver McIntosh, CEO
of Sportsmax (standing right).
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Digicel today announced that it has acquired majority ownership and
control of St. Lucia-based International Media Content Ltd., parent company of regional
sports broadcaster, SportsMax, and North American broadcaster CEEN-TV, for an
undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the deal, the founder and a number of the
lead principals will continue to have an ownership stake and be involved in the
day-to-day running of the IMC operation.
Currently available in 23 countries across the Caribbean,
SportsMax is the Caribbean’s first and only
indigenous 24-hour dedicated sports cable channel featuring a strong mix of
international, regional and local sports content. Its large inventory of
coveted content includes the Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, West Indies cricket, the Indian Premier League and the
IAAF Grand Prix.
IMC has been responsible for the broadcast of major
international events such as the FIFA World Cup tournaments since 2006,
including this summer’s event, and the 2012 London Olympics. In 2013, SportsMax
launched its 24-hour Spanish language channel, CDN SportsMax, in the Dominican Republic
which includes similar content as SportsMax plus Major League Baseball.
Ranked as the number one viewed sports channel in the
region, the move to acquire IMC/SportsMax comes hot on the heels of Digicel’s
entry into the cable TV market with recent acquisitions in Anguilla, Dominica, Jamaica, Montserrat, Nevis and
the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Commenting on the acquisition, Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves, said; “As
a complete communications solutions provider, it’s all about ensuring our
customers enjoy access to the best multimedia content on the best devices via
the very best network and that we meet all of their communication,
entertainment and networking needs. SportsMax represents the perfect blend of
sports entertainment and infotainment with a Caribbean
flavour and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the team to the
Digicel family.”
Patrick Rousseau, Chairman of IMC and SportsMax, comments; “Our
commitment to excellence and blazing a trail across the region mirrors
Digicel’s own commitment to delivering the very best for its customers. We are
delighted to be joining with them and working together to continue delivering
the best sports on television and growing our audience and reach across the
Caribbean and North America.”
ENDS
About Digicel
Digicel
Group is a leading global communications provider with operations in 32 markets
in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia
Pacific. After 13 years of operation, total investment to date stands at over
US$5 billion worldwide. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best
service and best network.
Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean,
Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams
throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies
cricket team and is also the presenting partner of the Caribbean Premier
League. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby
teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu
cricket team.
Digicel also runs a host of community-based
initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Haiti, Jamaica,
Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago
which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.
About SportsMax
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel
of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to
the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly
innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
SportsMax is transmitted regionally to 23 countries through cable operators in the Caribbean. SportsMax, since 2002, has broadcast exclusively the most watched sports, including The Barclays Premier League, the FIFA World Cup, The UEFA Champions League, WORLD CUP Qualifiers, COPA AMERICA, WEST INDIES AWAY TOURS, the Indian Premier League, The Australian Big Bash, THE ASHES as well as all international cricket from Australia, India, New Zealand and England, and select IAAF Grand Prix meets featuring the Caribbean & the world’s best athletes within each season.
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This is fantastic news - Digicel knows about service so this augers well for the delivery of the best in Sports!!
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