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BTI Studios, IYUNO Media Group Announce Merger

Media localization providers IYUNO Media Group and BTI Studios have merged, creating one of the largest language localization companies in the world, with 40 facilities across the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Providing worldwide dubbing and subtitling services for streaming, film and TV, the new company will operate under the IYUNO Media Group brand and headquartered in London, with David Lee, founder and former CEO of IYUNO Media Group, serving as executive chairman, and Shaun Gregory, former CEO of BTI Studios, taking the mantle of CEO.

Investors Shamrock Capital and Altor, along with SoftBank Ventures Asia, are providing financial support for the new company, which touts its ability to provide complete end-to-end coverage with expanded capacity, along with artificial intelligence-driven machine learning to help tackle projects for clients.

“Clients need a better solution,” Lee said. “The current media localization industry’s fragmented, manual and non-systematic approaches are outdated and inefficient. Our combined experience and long-standing commitment to diverse global markets makes our products and services second-to-none

“The merger with full support of our investors Altor, Softbank Ventures Asia and Shamrock Capital, further strengthens us to take our place as the unparalleled global leader.”

Combined, London-based BTI Studios and Singapore-based IYUNO Media Group have completed more than 6 million dubbed and 18 million subtitled minutes in 82 languages for regional broadcasters, Hollywood studios and OTT operators. IYUNO Media Group was first founded in 2002, while BTI Studios traces its roots to 1995.

“Quality, efficiency, and security are key themes for content owners as the need to differentiate themselves becomes more prevalent in the fast-paced race to localize content on a global scale,” Gregory said. “The merger provides a global network of owned and operated creative studios, never seen before in the market, which now allows us to support the increasing demand for localization services worldwide in the entertainment industry.

Gregory added in an email to clients: “IYUNO Media Group is strong in Asia, BTI Studios is strong in Europe and we are equally strong in the U.S. IYUNO Media Group has a 70/30 mix in subtitling to dubbing whilst BTI Studios’ mix is the opposite. IYUNO Media Group has a stronger position and invested more in cloud-technology and Al. BTI Studios on the other hand, has a broader global footprint and language coverage.

“One thing will remain the same: Our steadfast commitment to always serve you in the best manner possible.”