Gary Neville has sold a majority stake in one of his companies ahead of a move which could value it at over £200m.
The former Manchester United and England footballer has sold the controlling stake in production company Buzz16 to Miroma Group.
The global independent marketing business first invested in the firm in 2021 but has now become the majority shareholder.
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Buzz16 produces live sport, documentaries, podcasts and branded content for clients including Warner Bros, Discovery, Sky Bet, Eurosport and BT Sport. Its programmes include The Overlap which is shown on YouTube.
The company was co-founded by Mr Neville in 2016 and also works with Amazon Prime, Sky Sports and the Premier League.
The deal comes amid plans to take the company public in an initial public offering (IPO) that could value it at over £200m.
Scott Melvin, CEO and co-founder of Buzz16, said: "Buzz has been on a fantastic journey so far, whether it’s working on producing content for our wonderful client roster or creating The Overlap which has gone from strength to strength, but there’s so much more we can do, and this majority acquisition by Miroma Group is going to help us do it."
Marc Boyan, founder and CEO of Miroma Group, added: "I’m thrilled to be working more closely with the team at Buzz16.
"They have created some incredible work since their inception, and what I’ve seen them do with The Overlap is no exception.
"I’m excited to help the company grow, as we look to launch further projects in this space."
Mr Neville said: "This is great news for Buzz16 and it is fantastic to be able to work with Miroma Group.
"To utilise and tap into their experience and knowledge can only help us to develop and grow even further. Exciting times."
Miroma Group first invested in Buzz16 in 2021 as part of the group’s acquisition of Miroma SET.
Mr Neville remains a "large shareholder" and is "closely involved" with the business’ growth strategy.
Miroma Group owns a number of media, marketing and communications companies including the likes of Fold7, Contented, and Maker Lab.
It is backed by shareholders including Scott Belsky, founder of Behance and chief product officer at Adobe, Tom Hulme, head of Europe at Google Ventures, Justin Stefano, founder of Refinery 29, Michael Kassan, founder and CEO of MediaLink, and Ben Lerer, managing partner at Lerer Hippeau.
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