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 and consulting to teams, leagues, agencies and brands for more than 20 years, offering a full suite of research and advisory 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.
JEGI (www.jegi.com), the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors, headquartered in New York, NY, represented MarketCast Group in this transaction.
Turnkey Intelligence, headquartered just outside of Philadelphia in Haddonfield, NJ, joins the MarketCast Group alongside global social media analytics and insights firm Fizziology, which was acquired by MarketCast in 2017. 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.
Turnkey Intelligence also joins MarketCast Group companies Insight Strategy Group – a leading New York-based consumer research and strategy agency, acquired in 2015 – and Los Angeles-based MarketCast, the leading media and entertainment research specialists serving the full content development and marketing lifecycle.
“I’m excited for the future of Turnkey Intelligence with MarketCast Group,” said Len Perna, President and CEO of the former parent company of Turnkey Intelligence, Turnkey Sports & Entertainment. “For over 20 years, Turnkey Intelligence has been a trusted partner to some of the biggest names in the world of 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.
Turnkey Intelligence will be led by its current executive leadership team consisting of general manager Haynes Hendrickson and executive vice presidents, Donte Scott and Tony Ponturo. Hendrickson, Scott and Ponturo are well-known experts in the field of sports research, analytics, branding, and sponsorship evaluation.
“We are thrilled to welcome Turnkey Intelligence and this talented management team to MarketCast Group,” said Henry Shapiro, CEO of MarketCast Group. “We are media and entertainment research experts, working across film, TV, and videogames. Adding a leader in the world of sports gives us a 360-degree view into how people spend their free time and invest their passion.”
About Turnkey Intelligence
Turnkey Intelligence offers customized, informed, and actionable solutions to a wide range of sports, live event, agency and brand-side clients. Turnkey’s areas of expertise include sponsorship measurement and evaluation, advertising effectiveness, customer experience management, brand tracking, pricing optimization, customer segmentation, and more. Turnkey Intelligence’s self-service platform – Audience Portal – is used and trusted by hundreds of sports teams of all sizes. Since 1996, Turnkey Intelligence has been the sports industry’s leading provider of full-service custom market research. For more information, visit www.turnkeyintelligence.com.
About MarketCast Group
MarketCast Group (www.marketcastgroup.com) is the parent company of three integrated consumer insights businesses: MarketCast (www.mcast.com), Insight Strategy Group (www.insightstrategygroup.com), and Fizziology (www.fizziology.com). These companies work in collaboration with makers and marketers across industries throughout the product and content lifecycle, from brand health deep dives to early concept exploration to campaign development to distribution. MarketCast is a leading provider of marketing research services and data analytics servicing the global entertainment industry. Acquired in 2015, Insight Strategy Group is a consumer research and strategy agency that leverages deep social science expertise to fuel brand growth, new product introductions, and service and content innovation. Fizziology, acquired in 2017, is a provider of social insights and analytics that uses real-time global conversation to create actionable insights for marketers and creators. MarketCast Group is a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, a leading private equity firm headquartered in New York. For more information, visit www.marketcastgroup.com.
About Kohlberg & Company
Kohlberg & Company, L.L.C. is a leading private equity firm headquartered in New York. Since its inception in 1987, Kohlberg has organized eight private equity funds, through which it has raised $7.5 billion of committed equity capital. Over its nearly 30-year history, Kohlberg has completed 72 platform investments and over 150 add-on acquisitions, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $15 billion. For more information, visit www.kohlberg.com.
About JEGI
JEGI has been the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors for over 30 years. Headquartered in North America, with offices in New York City and Boston, as well as London and Sydney (through its partnership with CLARITY), JEGI has completed more than 600 high‐profile M&A and financing transactions, serving global corporations; middle‐market and emerging companies; entrepreneurial owners and founders; and private equity and venture capital firms. For more information, visit www.jegi.com.
