Bruin Sports Capital To Acquire Sports Data And Marketing Agency Two Circles

Bruin Sports Capital (Bruin) has agreed a deal with WPP to acquire Two Circles, the consumer data analytics, sports marketing, and technology practice. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed and subject to regulatory approvals. WPP will continue to hold a minority stake in the company. 

Two Circles’ proprietary data-management platforms aggregate and analyse large volumes of consumer data to inform new business development strategies and marketing programmes. Every year, Two Circles processes tens of billions of data points on sports fans globally influencing how hundreds of millions of sports fans engage with sport.  The NFL, Premier League, UEFA, Formula 1 and Wimbledon are among the leagues, teams, tournaments and federations Two Circles works with globally. 

George Pyne, founder, and CEO of Bruin Sports Capital said: “As we look to the future of the sports economy, everything we do will trace back to how well we can leverage consumer data intelligence to spur growth. Two Circles has been way ahead of the industry on this and has developed a new breed of agency that serves every business unit of a sports organisation.”

Founded in 2011, Two Circles has grown to 180 employees in four offices - New York, Los Angeles, London, and Bern – who work with clients on four continents, including the top five sports properties by annual global revenue. 

This year Two Circles played a role in record attendances for a host of global events, including the ICC Cricket World Cup and Open Championship, sponsorship rights growth, and subscription and consumption records for leading D2C media businesses. 

Gareth Balch, Two Circles Co-Founder and CEO, said: “The sports industry is moving from a B2B model to a direct-to-consumer model where growth will be centred around a direct relationship between sports and fans. Over the last eight years, we believe we have built proven models that can take sports properties on this journey. With Bruin's backing, experience, and relationships in global sport, we have the perfect platform to enter the next phase of commercial growth – both for our clients and as an agency."

Products and services provided by the business include ticketing, premium, sponsorship, stadium redevelopment, and subscriptions.  WPP’s continued investment in Two Circles will allow the agency’s clients to continue to have  access to WPP, its global network, and its brand clients. 

The news follows Bruin’s recent partnership with CVC Capital Partners and The Jordan Company who committed an initial US$600m to Bruin to build high-performing, next-generation sports and entertainment enterprises.  

Two Circles has been affiliated with Bruin since 2017 serving as the marketing arm for OverTier, a venture created by Bruin to operate NFL Game Pass, the league’s premium subscription service. OverTier initially operated NFL Game Pass throughout Europe, and after two years of record growth, the relationship expanded to 181 countries worldwide, in large part due to the marketing results of Two Circles.