UK Competition Regulator Looks Into Sportradar's Purchase of IMG Arena

IMG Arena, a division of Endeavor Group, holds media and data rights for over 70 major sports propertiesImage Source: Shutterstock.com

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has started to check Sportradar‘s plan to buy IMG Arena. The CMA worries this might affect competition in the sports data and media rights market.

Regulator Seeks Public Input on Sportradar’s Ngakeover of IMG Arena From Endeavor

The deal made public in March 2025, would let Nasdaq-listed Sportradarngake over IMG Arena. IMG Arena is part of Endeavor Groupand owns media and data rights for more than 70 big sports brands. In this deal, Sportradarwould get $125 million in value. Endeavor plans to put in another $100 million to meet its promises to other rights holders.

The CMAkicked off its “invitation to comment” stage on July 11, asking sngakeholders to give their thoughts on how the deal might affect things. While they have not started a full-blown investigation yet, this feedback period, which wraps up on July 25, gets the ball rolling on the regulator’s Phase 1 assessment under the Enterprise Act 2002.

The main issue in this reviewis whether one company might end up with too big of a market share. The CMA wants to figure out if the merger would create a “relevant merger situation” and if that setup could hurt competition in the UK. They are keeping a close eye on areas like sports tech, media licensing, and services that provide data for betting.

Sportradar’s Expansion Faces Scrutiny Amid Fears of Reduced Competition

Sportradar,well-known for its wide-ranging partnerships with worldwide sportsbooks and sports organizations like the NBA, MLB, and UEFA, already holds a big chunk of the sports data market. Buying IMG Arenawould make its grip even tighter by adding top-notch properties such as Wimbledon, the PGA Tour, and all four Grand Slam tennis tournamentsto its lineup.

People who keep an eye on the industry point out that this joining of forces could give Sportradarmore power over pricing and how things are shared out, pushing smaller rivals to the sidelines. This move might also put the company in a leading spot to provide combined data, streaming, and ways to get fans more involved.

Sportradarcalled the CMA’s actionsnormal for deals like this, but some people think the merger might reduce market variety. The deal would make competition tougher with companies like Genius Sports, Stats Perform, and newer players such as ALT Sports Data.The CMAhas not set a timeline for its Phase 1 decisionyet. Right now, it is gathering evidence to decide if a deeper investigation is needed.