Video Island expands European presence with acquisition of Scandinavia's Brafilm

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 13-Sep-05

LONDON - Video Island, the online DVD rental service, has made its second acquisition since winning £6m in funding earlier this year, snapping up the Scandinavian site Brafilm.

Brafilm.com is the largest player in the Scandinavian market, with a presence in Sweden and Norway.

Video Island said the deal would extend its lead as the biggest online DVD rental business in Europe, giving it a base of more than 150,000 members.

The acquisition follows that of DVDs365 in June this year and ScreenSelect.co.uk in August 2004. It comes after the firm won £6m in funding from venture debt firm EVP in June.

Simon Calver, CEO of Video Island, said: "Brafilm is a well-established and respected player in Scandinavia and has some valuable partnerships including MSN, TV4 in Sweden, TV2 in Norway, and Coop. The acquisition provides a solid base for us to expand across Europe."

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