Inflexion Private Equity has completed the buyout of Alston Elliot, with counsel on Management Due Diligence provided by The Quinn Partnership. Alston Elliot are a preeminent provider of bespoke data-driven graphics solutions for live sports programming.

The company was founded in 1992, initially to provide computerised graphics to the BBC for its coverage of test cricket and World Snooker events. Today the business employs more than 100 people across its offices in London, Johannesburg, New Delhi and Melbourne with clients including Sky, BT, ESPN, Fox, Star, SuperSport and the BBC. The business is led by CEO Nick Baily, who has 27 years’ experience in the TV sports broadcast industry.

Sport is widely considered to be the last live TV event as many other programmes have moved to catch-up streaming services, and this makes it uniquely appealing to broadcasters and advertisers. As a result, broadcasters are competing fiercely for rights over prime sports content. Additionally, they are broadening coverage in women’s sport, “lower league” exposure and new activities to fill the expanding airtime, much of which requires the support of Alston Elliot’s services to enhance the action.

New technologies are powering the rapid growth of sports viewing “on-the-move” through mobile devices creating a fresh channel for data-driven sports graphics. Alston Elliot is partnering with some of the leading technology providers in the sector to maximise its position in this new market.

Inflexion’s in-house digital expertise will support management in its development of next-generation software to improve the quality of its services as well as to future-proof the business. The Inflexion’s in-country experts will aid the continued international growth.

Nick Baily, CEO of Alston Elliot, said, “We are delighted to have found the right partner with whom to embark on our next phase of growth. Inflexion’s digital expertise and global reach will be invaluable as we continue to develop our business”.

The Inflexion deal team comprised of Andrew Mainwaring, Richard Wootten and Robin Senivassen; Andrew and Richard will join the board upon completion. Andrew Vaughan has been named Chairman of Alston Elliot.

This investment was made by affiliated funds advised by Inflexion Private Equity Partners LLP.

Mike Stiles, Director at The Quinn Partnership, said, “With a strong reputation among prime sports broadcasters around the world, Alston Elliot offer a compelling product in a dynamic market. The team possess the know-how and the ambition to continue to broaden and consolidate their offering as they begin their work with Inflexion”.