TA Associates To Acquire TouchTunes
Boston and New York – March 30, 2022 – TouchTunes, a leading in-venue, interactive music and entertainment platform, today announced that TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the company from funds advised by Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. (“Searchlight”) and Newlight Partners LP (“Newlight”). Partnering together, TouchTunes and TA aim to accelerate the company’s growth and innovation across existing and new markets. Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
TouchTunes has established a network of more than 65,000 connected digital jukeboxes in bars, brewpubs, restaurants and other social spaces across North America and Europe. The company’s digital jukeboxes allow music lovers to choose the music that plays in their favorite venues, adapting over time to highlight the songs and artists most played in a location. Music selections can be controlled from the jukebox or smartphones through the company’s popular companion app, which also helps users find nearby jukebox locations. TouchTunes jukeboxes also offer a variety of interactive experiences, including an integrated photo booth solution.
“TA is highly impressed with the deep commitment TouchTunes has to creating a high-quality music experience. The company’s continuous innovation, strong relationships with venues and jukebox operators, and skilled management team all help to deliver the desired experience for customers,” said Michael Berk, a Managing Director at TA. “TouchTunes has already established itself as a market leader, but we see opportunity for continued innovation and expansion. We are excited to invest in TouchTunes at this moment in its growth and look forward to partnering closely with the TouchTunes management team.”
“TouchTunes has succeeded by delivering innovative, shared music experiences that inspire emotional connections,” said Ross Honey, TouchTunes President and CEO. “TA is an ideal partner for TouchTunes moving forward as we look to continue our growth, offering the experience and resources we need to accelerate expansion of TouchTunes’ network, audience and markets. We look forward to working with TA to build on our strengths and drive new opportunities. We would also like to thank both Searchlight and Newlight for their partnership and guidance over the past few years.”
LionTree Advisors served as exclusive financial advisor to TouchTunes and its shareholders on the transaction.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in early April.
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About TouchTunes
TouchTunes is the largest in-venue interactive music and entertainment platform, with its connected jukeboxes featured in more than 59,000 bars and restaurants across North America and 6,000 in Europe. TouchTunes' platform provides location-based digital solutions that inspire social interactions through shared experiences. Music is the core of TouchTunes' experience, with millions of songs played daily across the network and a popular companion mobile app that lets anyone find nearby jukebox locations, create playlists, and control the in-venue music directly from their phone. In addition, TouchTunes supports a highly scalable digital out-of-home activation platform that provides targeted advertising and promotional opportunities for consumer brands. We are proud of our strong relationships with a network of over 2,500 local jukebox operators who install our equipment and take responsibility for maintenance, promotion, service, and support. TouchTunes is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Chicago, Montreal, and London. For more information, visit http://www.touchtunes.com and follow TouchTunes on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest company news.
About TA Associates
TA is a leading global growth private equity firm. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries – technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer, and business services – the firm invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth and has invested in more than 550 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high quality growth companies. TA has raised $47.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968. The firm’s more than 100 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.
About Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P.
Searchlight is a global private investment firm with over $10 billion in assets under management and offices in New York, London and Toronto. Searchlight seeks to invest in businesses where its long-term capital and strategic support accelerate value creation for all stakeholders. For more information, please visit www.searchlightcap.com.
About Newlight Partners LP
Newlight Partners LP is a growth-focused middle market private equity firm that builds businesses in partnership with exceptional founders and management teams. The Newlight team has been investing together since 2005, originally as the Strategic Investments Group at Soros Fund Management LLC, and now as Newlight after the team's spin-out in 2018. Newlight’s thematic investment approach focuses on identifying and addressing marketplace opportunities in rapidly growing subsectors. Newlight currently has over $4 billion in capital commitments and assets under management. For more information, please visit www.newlightpartners.com.
