Playmaker purchases The Nation Network

A massive sale became official Wednesday as digital sports media company purchased all of The Nation Network and its subsidy Daily Faceoff.

The move is the latest in what has been a busy 2021 for The Nation Network.

“We are beyond excited to be joining the Playmaker family. It’s refreshing to work with a group that understands and shares the same fan-first culture as we do, because like us, they are sports fans,” said Jay Downton, co-founder and CEO of TNN. “This is a huge momentum builder for The Nation Network as it will allow us to invest more in content creation, talent recruitment, partnerships, and strategic acquisitions, all of which will better serve and expand our amazing online community. We are excited to get to work!”

Earlier in 2021, NHL insider Frank Seravalli joined The Nation as the President of Hockey Content at its flagship website, Daily Faceoff. Months later, the company signed a multi-year deal with PointsBet Canada to be the exclusive sports betting partner to the company.

Playmaker, meanwhile, lives at the intersection of sports, betting, media and technology and is working to build a collection of premier sports media brands. CEO Jordan Gnat said the acquisition of the Network is the companies first foray into the Canadian market.

“The acquisition of TNN and DFO is further proof that Playmaker is continuing to execute against its plan to acquire and roll up valuable, profitable digital media assets that cover major sports in important markets,” said Jordan Gnat, Playmaker CEO. “TNN is Playmaker’s first acquisition in our home market of Canada, giving Playmaker true audience reach from the top of Canada to the bottom of Argentina. This is particularly important in Canada as we look towards Q1 2022 when third party sports betting operators will be permitted to operate in Ontario.”

“The TNN acquisition helps diversify Playmaker’s revenue streams through a subscription-based premium content model and with a significant sportsbook partnership already in place. I am delighted to welcome Jay and Frank and the whole Nation team into the Playmaker family.”

Seravalli said the company looks forward to “unlocking additional resources.”

“I could not be more excited to join the Playmaker family. There is no doubt combining forces with Playmaker will unlock additional resources and the creative juice that will power our team, turbocharging our vision to make it a reality more quickly than we originally planned,” he said.. “Partnering with Playmaker better enables us to continue on our trajectory in becoming the premier destination for refreshingly independent hockey coverage in the digital space.”