Trace TV strikes ‘sportainment’ deal with Inverleigh

Laurent Dumeau

Youth-skewed channel provider Trace TV has signed a four-year production and distribution deal with Inverleigh Media Holdings to provide sport-related entertainment content for its Trace Sports Stars network.

The partnership will see Inverleigh produce over 100 hours of original content a year for broadcast on the Trace Sport Stars international channels.

The company has previously commissioned Inverleigh to produce a range of programming including its National Icons and Football Stars formats.

In addition to production, Trace has appointed DSI by Inverleigh as its exclusive worldwide distribution partner to represent Sport Stars’ programming catalogue for acquisition over the next four years.

Trace said that the joining of its own and Inverleigh catalogues for distribution represents “the most significant and diverse sportainment library globally”.

Inverleigh director Matt Whytcross said: “Broadcasters have recognised the appeal of sport entertainment making it an increasingly important component of schedules over the past 12-24 months. Trace and Inverleigh have, in parallel, been pioneers in this genre which makes this alliance a natural progression in a long-term association.”

Laurent Dumeau, Trace Sport Stars CEO, said: “We are delighted to renew our production partnership with Inverleigh, following a successful three-year collaboration. Inverleigh is an exciting company, committed to delivering new, original, high-quality programming, in line with the Trace Sport Stars youth audience’s expectation. The distribution deal followed naturally; having an extensive knowledge of our channel and its catalogue, and numerous years’ experience in production and content commercialisation, I’m confident that Inverleigh is the relevant partner to succeed in strengthening not only the Trace Sport Stars leadership as the number one channel dedicated to sport celebrities but also as a major provider of sportainment content to broadcasters worldwide.”