The DNEG Group announced today that United Al Saqer Group (UASG) will make a strategic investment of $200 million in the Group, at a total enterprise valuation in excess of $2 billion.
The DNEG Group has a consistent 25-year track record of innovating to lead in the visual effects (VFX) segment and strong profitable growth. Like all parts of the media & entertainment sector, the market in which The DNEG Group operates is undergoing a rapid evolution. The investment by UASG will accelerate The DNEG Group's strategy of innovation and diversification to evolve from a pure visual effects services provider to a sector-agnostic content production and AI-powered technology partner, ensuring continued technology and creative leadership. In particular:
- The DNEG Group will fully activate its technology division, Brahma, which is developing the industry's most comprehensive AI-powered, photo-real CGI creator, including Ziva, to which DNEG recently acquired the exclusive license from Unity. Brahma will democratize photo-real content creation in a wide range of applications and will be built on over 25 years of industry leading proprietary data to create a product of unique quality.
- The DNEG Group's intellectual property (IP) and content creation arm, Prime Focus Studios, will be enabled to expand its investment in, and production of high-quality content, following its recent successful co-production of The Garfield Movie.
- The DNEG Group will open a new office and visual experience hub in Abu Dhabi, with plans to develop a world class ecosystem in the Middle East for content production, storage, and distribution. This will support the creation of highly skilled jobs across the media and technology sectors, strengthening the region's place as a creative powerhouse.
DNEG Chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra will continue in his current role. He will be joined on the Group's Board of Directors by Nabil Kobeissi and Edouard Zard from UASG, and by Prabhu Narasimhan from NaMa Capital, a leading investor in The DNEG Group, who will also become Executive Chairman of Brahma. Prabhu Narasimhan will take a leave of absence from NaMa Capital to oversee the launch and expansion of Brahma.