Ticketing operator GoFan has merged with PlayOn! Sports to create a new one-stop shop for streaming and digital ticketing services in the North American high school sports sector.
The merger of the two Atlanta-based operators will create an expanded group that will provide its services to nearly 10,000 high schools across the US. KKR, which joined Panoramic Ventures as an investor in PlayOn! earlier this year, is making an additional investment from its North America Fund XIII fund to support the strategic combination.
PlayOn!, which was founded in 2008, is best known for operating the NFHS Network, which provides live and on-demand content for high school sports and activities in all 50 states. The NFHS Network is a joint venture with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and its member state associations.
GoFan, which was founded in 2001 and is an official partner to 40 NFHS member associations, is a digital ticketing provider for thousands of high schools and millions of fans nationwide.
“We are excited to be joining forces with an industry leader like GoFan as we capitalise on our tremendous market opportunity and build a winning high school sports technology and media platform,” said David Rudolph, chief executive of PlayOn!.
“The combination of our highly complementary capabilities in ticketing and streaming creates a one-stop shop with unparalleled access and streamlined customer experiences for in-person, live-stream and on-demand events.”
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“PlayOn! and GoFan have a common mission to elevate the event experience for high school administrators, coaches and fans, and today’s milestone will help us set the industry standard for school and fan engagement,” said B.J. Pilling, chief executive of GoFan.
“We are confident the combination of our teams will drive exponential value to our mutual state association and high school partners. We intend to tirelessly promote and market school events across the country to drive increased revenue through ticket sales and streaming.”
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