Learfield Sports Acquires Controlling Interest in ANC Sports Enterprises

Learfield Sports announced that it has completed an acquisition of controlling interest in ANC Sports Enterprises, LLC, one of the leading providers of video displays, in-venue sponsorship platforms, digital signage, and other technology systems for sports venues, transportation hubs and retail facilities.

ANC was founded in 1997 by Jerry Cifarelli and Alan N. Cohen, a leading senior executive for many years in the sports and entertainment industries. Experiencing rapid growth, ANC has completed 47 major projects over the past two years. Among ANC’s 2014 projects are the video displays at Penn State University’s Beaver Stadium, The Citrus Bowl, the Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena, which is the largest arena center-hung scoreboard in the country and Fulton Center, the largest digital media network in a single New York City transit hub.

“This is an exciting move for Learfield Sports,” said Greg Brown, Learfield President and CEO. “So often, we are in discussions with our collegiate partners about new stadium or arena technology needs and display capabilities and having this expertise in our family of services will be a huge asset.”

Founded as an in-game sponsorship signage company, ANC has spearheaded the integration of new technology into sports venues with 18 NBA venue display systems, 36 collegiate installations, 14 Major League Baseball signage partners, among other stadium and arena deployments.

“Learfield is an incredibly respected company and trustworthy brand in the sports marketplace,” said Cifarelli, President and CEO of ANC. “Our company’s growth initiative to bring our high-quality technology and services to the college market seamlessly fits into Learfield’s overall business strategy. As the leading turnkey technology service provider, we are excited to be a part of the Learfield suite of services to transform the in-venue experience.”

Brown has announced that Cifarelli will continue to lead the ANC business and that it will continue to operate as ANC. Cifarelli and the ANC management team will report to Learfield COO Marc Jenkins, who oversees Learfield’s portfolio of extended business lines, which includes collegiate licensing and trademark management; ticketing; concessions and hospitality; as well as digital platforms and web solutions.