Spending spree continues with acquisition of Genesis Broadcast Services

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Watford’s Gravity Media Group (GMG) has bought a German kit hire firm and is to re-brand it as Gearhouse Broadcast Germany.

Genesis Broadcast Services offers dry hire services to customers from its base near Cologne. Its clients include ARD, ZDF, RTL, Euromedia and MMC Studios.

No financial details were revealed.

The acquisition and re-brand will extend Gearhouse Broadcast’s reach into Northern Europe where it will now offer various services including equipment rental, outside broadcast, project solutions, RF and systems integration.

GMG chief revenue officer Eamonn Dowdall, who revealed that his company had been watching Northern Europe for some time, said: “Genesis Broadcast Services provides us with the perfect entry point through Germany to what is a very interesting and active market.

”With Gearhouse’s global support network, strength of relationships with key manufacturers and content owners and understanding of new technologies such as 4K, IP and remote production, we will further enhance the services they’re already offering.”

GMG owns Gearhouse Broadcast and Hyperactive Broadcast. It sold a minority stake to TowerBrook Capital Partners in September 2016 and went on to buy the sports production company Input Media in 2017.

Genesis Broadcast Services was formed in 2014 by Uli Maslak and Tom Gehring. The duo had previously run the German subsidiary of Presteigne Charter.

Gehring, who is expected to become managing director of Gearhouse Broadcast Germany, added: “We’ll now be able to offer a more innovative and competitive service than ever before.”