When Banijay Group announced on 28 October that it would acquire a majority stake in Tipico, Germany’s sports-betting leader, the news drew attention beyond the gaming sector. The deal – which folds Tipico and its Admiral operation into Banijay’s growing gaming division alongside Betclic – is not just another exercise in corporate consolidation.
The combination will, on paper, create a €6.4 billion [$7.4 billion] revenue European champion, according to Banijay’s own pro forma figures. But the significance of the transaction lies less in its scale than in what it reveals about the industry’s direction of travel.
“This deal represents a significant convergence of the media and gambling industries. It combines entertainment content with sports betting,” says Gabriele Stark-Lütke Schwienhorst, senior associate at CMS Germany.
