ChyronHego Acquires Click Effects, Affirming Commitment to Sports-Venue Industry

ChyronHego took a giant step into the sports-venue space with its recent acquisition of Sound & Video Creations, supplier of the Click Effects range of products for live A/V entertainment production. As a result, the long-time graphics-systems provider adds Click Effects’ popular CrossFire, Blaze, BackDraft, and ProAudio to its portfolio.

“We are very excited about this acquisition, because everything that happens around venue production is amazing. It really is an expanding area, not only for us but globally,” says ChyronHego Chief Marketing Officer Jesper Gawell. “What’s happening here in the U.S. is now happening globally where [venues are] becoming really amazing production facilities. And Click Effects has an amazing footprint, and they have some really cool technologies for that space.”

Prior to the acquisition, ChyronHego most often served sports venues with graphics engines that support videoboard production. With the Click Effects acquisition, says Gawell, ChyronHego will be able to provide sports-venue customers with “a true end-to-end production chain for in-venue production.”

Click Effects systems are currently in use by the majority of Major and Minor League Baseball teams; more than half of all professional football, basketball, and hockey teams; and hundreds of colleges and universities. Click Effects systems are designed to provide cost-effective and operator-friendly capabilities ranging from video playback and replay to data delivery, graphics generation, and audio-content delivery.

“[ChyronHego’s] resources, development expertise, and worldwide network are key ingredients to take us to the next level,” says Sound & Video Creations VP Scott Sheppard. “This is great not only for us but also for the industry.”

ChyronHego plans to bring the Click Effects range of products under the ChyronHego umbrella and to leverage Click Effects’ longstanding relationships with sports-venue customers. According to Gawell, there will be no immediate changes to staffing, and the teams will move forward as a larger company with a more robust support team.

“With the addition of Click Effects to the family, we are focusing on this specific segment, and we are very exited about it,” he says. “They have some amazing technology, but, equally as important, the Click Effects team is truly amazing. They built a fantastic company, and we’re really happy to welcome them to this family. They’re going to be a great addition to the team both as a technical fit [and how their] products fit into the overall portfolio, but also the guys there are great.”