Sphere Abacus acquires Matthew Frank’s Rocket Rights/Rights Booster

Bell Media-owned distributor Sphere Abacus has acquired 100% of Matthew Frank’s digital distribution rights firm Rocket Rights/Rights Booster, which is set to rebrand as Rocket Booster.

Jonathan Ford

FAST and VoD monetisation specialist distributor Rocket Booster will lead on all multiplatform digital and social media distribution across the combined Sphere Abacus and Rocket Booster catalogues.

Traditional TV and licensing from both companies will be handled by the Sphere Abacus sales team.

Former chief operating officer Cat Davie is now MD of the newly acquired company, with founder and former CEO Matthew Frank becoming executive director – both reporting to Sphere Abacus MD Jonathan Ford.

Canada’s Bell Media acquired a majority stake in Sphere Abacus, the UK-based distribution company led by Ford, in March last year.

Former RDF and Zodiak veteran Frank launched Rocket Rights with his late brother David in 2021.

Bruno Dubé, Sphere Media CEO, said: “We are pleased that through this deal, Sphere Abacus are not only adding talent and a content catalogue, but also expanding the capability for distributing existing content with the arrival of Rocket Booster.”

Ford added: “This significant move is yet another step in the development of Sphere Abacus and highlights our ambition to further penetrate the global digital market. We are extremely pleased to be able to harness the experience and multiple relationships that Matthew and Cat have in the digital space and to build on our success in this crucial part of the business.”