BUSINESS NEWS
Eurosport invests £ 7m in Bath digital firm creating 150 jobs
150 new digital jobs are to be created at Bath-based sports media company, Play Sports Group, the firm behind market-leading cycling brands Global Cycling Network and Global Mountain Bike Network.
Play Sports Group has received major investment from the parent group of TV channel Eurosport. Discovery Communications, the global media and entertainment group and owner of Eurosport has led an investment round, taking a 20 % stake in the Bath headquartered company and a seat on its board.
In just four years, the business founded by ex-Future PLC Chief Operating Officer, Simon Wear has become an international digital media success. Publishing more than 1,100 videos a year, its channels are focused on creating compelling, entertaining and educational videos presented with passion by a team of former professional athletes.
Eurosport is the number one sport destination in Europe and new home of the Olympic Games, as well as leading rights holder in cycling and has an established position as the Home of Cycling, showing all three of the Grand Tours, including the Tour de France, and all five Monuments. This investment and commercial partnership with Eurosport enables Play Sports Group to rapidly scale its business, bringing its content to its cycling fans, wherever they are. The company will launch further channels in cycling and across other sports, hiring up to 150 people for newly created digital and creative roles over the next two years.
Simon Wear, Founder and CEO of Play Sports Group said:“ Passion for cycling is the biggest it’ s ever been and as a lifelong fan, I know it’ s one of the most robust and enduring sports that’ s ever existed. I’ m delighted to have Discovery Communications and its leading sports brand Eurosport join our incredible list of investors and advisors. It’ s extremely clear how determined and smart they are in the development of their digital business, and we’ re really looking forward to working with the team.
Thanks to our team of investors, we’ re able to make our business ambitions possible. Their backing and financial support enables us to really turbo-charge the next phase of growth, bringing around 150 new people to digital and creative roles. There’ s an audience of hundreds of millions of cycling fans around the world, and together we’ ll get closer to them than ever before.”
For more info: www. playsportsnetwork. com jobs @ playsportnetwork. com
Rapid growth for Bath’ s SelectScience ®
Corston-based online publisher SelectScience ® has grown 25 % in the past year. As one of the fastest-growing businesses in the city, it’ s looking to be at the cutting-edge of scientific developments once again this year. Augmented reality, robotics and personalised health care are the big science stories to look out for this year.
That’ s according to Arif Butt, CEO and president of SelectScience ®, a global online publisher where the editorial team is made up almost exclusively of highly qualified scientists, giving them unrivalled access to many of the world’ s top laboratories.
In a new video interview, Arif speaks about the importance of enabling trust in a world full of disruption. Arif said:“ I believe the media have even more responsibility to ensure effective communication of scientific success to make the world a healthier place, we do this at SelectScience ® through reviews and moderation.” He also looks ahead to some of the big science trends: augmented reality and personalised health care among the top headlines.
According to Arif, 2017 will be the year“ where more dots are being joined in science, being able to report more on the contamination of our food and the environment, the effects this has on our genetics and the resulting increase in disease.”
Since it was founded by Arif in 1998, SelectScience ® has brought dozens of high quality jobs to Bath. It is set to continue its expansion over the coming months, with around 12 vacancies currently on offer across the organisation.
As the number one trusted online publisher in the science industry, the company has exclusive access to many of the world’ s leading scientists and their research. Among 2016’ s highlights was exclusive access to Prof. Francisco Radler’ s WADA accredited anti-doping laboratory for the Olympic Games in Rio. The invitation gave SelectScience ® the chance to showcase the positive science behind the Games.
Scientists are becoming increasingly more proactive in having their voices heard. In 2016 more than 4,000 scientists got involved in the Scientists’ Choice Awards ®, SelectScience’ s annual recognition of the year’ s success in technology and communication. The awards celebrate some of the amazing advancements in a wide range of scientific fields, pushing the boundaries of our understanding. Nominations and voting are already underway for 2017’ s awards.
Watch SelectScience ® CEO’ s new video interview here: http:// ow. ly / 3meS309Q8Ie
Turn to page 29 to see how VR technology is being used by Airbus with the help of Rendermedia.
Bath Tourism
Leslie Redwood, Head of Business Development and Partnerships at VisitBath on keeping positive with a shared vision for the future of our city and region.
One of the comments I regularly hear as I work in our lovely city and region, to champion Bath with our many stakeholders and businesses, is that there is often a perceived lack of a shared plan, for our future direction and focus.
I can assure you that there are very many deeply passionate individuals, businesses and organisations around Bath that often all share more or less the same vision, aims and objectives – they just need to co-ordinate and communicate this in a much improved way between each other and to the outside world with a shared voice.
Part of the work that we have been doing at Visit Bath is to increase the‘ face to face’ communication with our 500 members on the ground and with our 100 strategic partners.
This work is yielding great success already in terms of new relationships, with organisations partnering with us for the benefit of our community and city, if you will, becoming ambassadors for the area. This is giving great mutual benefits to all involved and ultimately sustains our unique World Heritage Site. Our continuing‘ Positive Projects’ work for Bath’ s independent businesses is also a manifestation of this direct support and partnership we provide.
In line with this- we have been instructed by the Local Authority to come up with a five year‘ Destination Management Plan’ for a future shared direction and vision for the city and surrounds. We have already had a steering group meeting for this initiative and will shortly be launching a full consultation to all stakeholders who wish to feed into this initiative, everyone is invited to comment, be they businesses, residents, visitors, councillors or council officers, all views are welcome, this is our shared city, after all. Please keep an eye on the Visit Bath website, on how to submit your views into the consultation.
For more info: www. visitbath. co. uk
Leslie _ Redwood @ bathtourism. co. uk
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2017 5