Dentsu Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; President & CEO: Tadashi Ishii; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen) announced today that its global business headquarters Dentsu Aegis Network Ltd. has acquired leading independent sports marketing company KENEO SAS (CEO: Franck Ladouce; Head Office: Paris; hereinafter "Keneo"). When combined with the Dentsu Group's existing sports business in France, the acquisition will cement its position as the country's largest sports agency and further expand the breadth and scale of the Group's business activities in this market.

Founded in 2008 in Paris, Keneo is a major independent agency in the sports industry, employing 30 people and offering a range of services both in France and internationally across five business units: Consulting, Servicing, Event Management, Activation and Life. Initially focused on the professional sport industry, Keneo has recently expanded its offering toward corporate and amateur sports. In 2015, Keneo managed more than 370 events and matches, and operated around 70 stadiums and arenas.

Following the acquisition Keneo will become part of lifestyle marketing agency MKTG*, one of the Dentsu Group's ten global network brands, and will collaborate with other Group companies both in France and across the world to further expand the Group's sports marketing business.

The worldwide sports market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%, driven mainly by major international events such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup™. Sponsorship and media rights are the most dynamic segments, and these are both expected to continue growing. France is part of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) market, which accounts for around 38% of the global sports market. Sports marketing is one of the Dentsu Group's strengths, and the Group will continue to accelerate its growth strategy through a variety of business developments in this area.

The impact of this transaction on Dentsu's consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016 is expected to be minimal.

*Dentsu Aegis Network Ltd., the Dentsu Group's global business headquarters based in London, is expanding the Group's business worldwide through ten global network brands--Carat, Dentsu (Dentsu Brand Agencies), Dentsu media, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Merkle, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum--as well as through several specialist/multi-market brands.


Profile of Keneo
Company Name:     KENEO SAS
Headquarters Location:    Paris, France
Date of Establishment:    April 2008
Shareholding Ratio*:     Dentsu Aegis Network 100%
        *After acquisition has been completed
Revenue:    EUR 5,759,000 (year ended December 2015)
Representatives:     Edouard Donnelly (Chairman)
                     Franck Ladouce (CEO）
                     Vincent Batigne (Deputy CEO)
Number of Employees:     30
Line of Business:     Full range of services in the sports marketing domain

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