The investment, which still leaves majority control of the company in the hands of its management, is set to help Aura further cement its position as one of the leading experts in selling online sports properties.
It currently has deals in place with a number of the biggest English Premier League clubs, among them Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton, as well as 4thegame.com – the official website of the Barclaycard Premiership sponsor.
Sky is no stranger to Aura Sport’s founder and managing director Paul Wright; he was one of the first members of the Sky sales team in the early days of multi-channel TV, spending seven years at the company.
He became commercial manager and was played a key role in building up a team that encompassed broadcast sponsorship, text sales, promotion and the internet. He quit as head of interactive sales at Sky in 1999 and became director of sales at Sports.com.
A source close to the deal said the move did not herald a major strategic shift in Sky’s thinking, nor did it herald a future takeover of the company.
