26North Leads $700 Million Equity Investment in NEP Group to Accelerate Growth and Innovation
The investment will deepen NEP's position as the trusted technology solutions provider for live sports, entertainment and media organizations worldwide.
26North Partners LP ("26North"), the next-generation alternatives platform founded by Josh Harris, today announced a significant equity investment in NEP Group ("NEP"), a global leader in media services and technology solutions for the live sports and entertainment industry. Carlyle, NEP's existing sponsor, is participating alongside 26North in this investment and will remain NEP's largest shareholder, reaffirming its long-term commitment to the company.
"We're excited to partner with NEP CEO Martin Stewart, his leadership team and Carlyle to build on the strong foundation they've created," said Mark Weinberg, Head of Private Equity at 26North. "NEP represents the kind of business we seek to invest in: a global market leader with a stellar reputation for service delivery, technical expertise and innovation that keeps customers coming back for compelling storytelling around their most important events."
NEP powers many of the world's most iconic productions, including the Super Bowl, the World Cup, the Olympics and major entertainment events like the Oscars. NEP partners with leading broadcasters, rightsholders and producers to bring their content to life through state-of-the-art mobile production units and studios, industry-leading software solutions, audiovisual and lighting technologies, and a deep bench of engineering talent.
The new investment from 26North will support continued expansion as NEP scales to meet rising global demand for premium live sporting events and spectator experiences. In addition, NEP stands to benefit from the extensive sports and live entertainment ecosystem of 26North Founder Josh Harris, who is also the Founder and Managing General Partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and the Managing Partner of the Washington Commanders.
"We're thrilled to take NEP to the next level with outstanding capital partners at our side," said NEP CEO Martin Stewart. "Josh brings exceptional expertise in creating one of the world's leading sports and entertainment portfolios, and he and the 26North team have a proven track record of growing businesses across industries. We also couldn't be more pleased to have earned the continued trust and support of Carlyle."
Under Carlyle's ownership, NEP has expanded its international reach, strengthened its remote production and software capabilities, and deepened partnerships with major broadcasters and streaming platforms.
"NEP sits at the intersection of many of the most powerful trends in sports, media and entertainment — spaces where we can bring differentiated capital and capabilities," said 26North Private Equity Partner Gary Freilich. "We see tremendous opportunity to help accelerate NEP's next wave of innovation as the go-to platform powering the world's most significant live broadcast and in-person productions."
NEP joins a growing family of market-leading companies within 26North's Private Equity portfolio, including ArchKey Solutions, AVI-SPL and Onelife Fitness. Together, these businesses reflect 26North's strategy of investing in companies with durable fundamentals, strong leadership and exposure to positive long-term growth trends.
NEP was advised by Goldman Sachs, Latham & Watkins LLP, and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. 26North was advised by RBC Capital Markets, Greenhill, a Mizuho affiliate, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Barclays and Goldman Sachs served as lead advisors on the refinancing.
About 26North
26North Partners LP is an integrated, multi-asset-class investment platform that provides investment advice and opportunities to its clients across private equity, credit, insurance, and reinsurance strategies. The 26North team brings decades of experience managing third-party capital to help clients achieve their financial goals while making a lasting impact in the communities in which they operate. Since launching in 2022, 26North has grown to approximately $31 billion in assets under management.
About NEP Group
NEP is the world's most trusted media services partner for live sports and entertainment. With a global network of experts, cutting-edge technology, and an expansive portfolio of customer-driven, innovative solutions, we empower our customers to tell their stories in breakthrough ways. Through operations in 25 countries, our teams have supported thousands of major productions and events on every continent with excellence and reliability. See how we bring content to life at nepgroup.com.
About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ:CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across its business and conducts its operations through three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Carlyle AlpInvest. With $453 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2025, Carlyle's purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,300 people in 29 offices across four continents.
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Media:
26North
Cristina Alesci | [email protected] | +1 917-902-0589
NEP
Susan Matis | [email protected] | +1 412-423-1339
Jordan Conigliaro | [email protected] | +1 570-357-1992
Carlyle
Brittany Bensaull | [email protected] | +1 (212) 813-4839