The owners of LiveBarn, a youth sports streaming service, are exploring a sale.
The group has hired Raymond James to advise on the process, chief financial officer Benjamin Beauvais confirmed in an email. LiveBarn backers include private equity giants Susquehanna and Ares; Raymond James served as advisor when Ares invested in 2023.
Beauvais declined to provide specifics about the team’s plans. A representative for Raymond James declined to comment.
Founded in 2015, LiveBarn has relationships with more than 1,900 facilities across multiple sports, primarily hockey, hence the name. Its network covers 49 U.S. states and 10 Canadian provinces. Users can stream live video from those facilities, with the option to watch replays and download clips. The service is popular among players, coaches and family members who want to watch competitions but can’t attend in person.
LiveBarn also has a number of other brands, including GameOnStream, an Ontario platform that merged with LiveBarn in 2023; BeTheBeast, which is focused basketball and volleyball and was purchased in 2021 for a reported $17 million in cash and stock; and MNHockey.TV, for Minnesota hockey.
The potential sale comes amid an M&A boom in youth sports. Investors are drawn to the large sums many parents are willing to spend on their kids’ athletic pursuits, along with the total addressable market, which is larger than pro or college sports. Unrivaled, the youth sports platform company launched by David Blitzer and Josh Harris, recently raised $120 million from a series of backers led by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Soccer Shots, a soccer education platform backed by Susquehanna, now grosses more than $100 million per year, Sportico reported in April.
Early LiveBarn investors include Rho Canada Partners, Lune Rouge and Seven7, an investment fund co-founded by former NHL players Martin St. Louis (now the coach of the Montreal Canadiens) and Jeff Hamilton. Susquehanna Growth Equity invested in 2021, with four Susquehanna employees joining the LiveBarn board as directors or observers. Ares invested two years later.
