Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, has acquired ARRI, the Munich-based premium manufacturer of camera and lighting technology for motion picture and live entertainment. The entrepreneur from Wuppertal was chosen in a competitive international process with his concept for a new home for ARRI, marking the largest acquisition of his career to date. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Riedel Group is a globally recognized specialist in advanced audio, video, and data technology, delivering infrastructure solutions for many of the world’s most demanding broadcast, live event, and sports productions. Through the acquisition of ARRI, Thomas Riedel establishes a close strategic alignment between ARRI and the Riedel Group, expanding its expertise across the entire production chain–from camera optics to distribution. ARRI’s ecosystem of camera, lighting, and systems technology perfectly complements the Riedel Group’s existing portfolio and opens up new technological and strategic market opportunities for both companies.
Founded in 1917, ARRI has been family-owned ever since and is regarded as a global leader in professional film technology, having been recognized with 20 scientific and technical awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “For more than a century, ARRI has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, and the highest quality. This success story will now continue and remain in German ownership,” said Dr. Walter Stahl, managing director of ARRI GmbH and member of the founding family.
Through close collaboration, ARRI and Riedel aim to unlock new areas of growth, especially in live entertainment and sports. By combining their respective technologies, the companies plan to develop integrated solutions that open new creative and technical possibilities for customers. As the first joint milestone of this collaboration, ARRI will debut its camera technology at the Eurovision Song Contest, where Riedel serves as the technology provider and NEP oversees production.
Under the new ownership of Thomas Riedel, ARRI’s existing management team will continue to lead the company and further advance its ongoing transformation. The company will retain independent operations and remain headquartered in Munich.
“Thomas Riedel has built a first-generation family business and stands for entrepreneurial continuity and long-term thinking,” said Chris Richter, managing director of ARRI. “We look forward to working with a successful entrepreneur and to the resulting market opportunities and access–both in existing and new markets.”
“The Riedel Group brings highly complementary technologies and extensive expertise in live production to this partnership,” added David Bermbach, managing director of ARRI. “This strengthens our strategic direction as a ‘Trusted Technology Leader for the Next Generation of Media & Entertainment.’”
“My entrepreneurial path has been closely tied to ARRI for years,” said Thomas Riedel. “This acquisition represents the most significant personal milestone of my career so far. I have great respect for this exceptional brand, its outstanding products, and its strong team. At the same time, I see tremendous potential and am confident that, together, we can position ARRI for long-term stability and future success.”
ARRI
Named after its founders August Arnold and Robert Richter, ARRI was established in Munich where the headquarters is still located today. Other subsidiaries are in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia.
The ARRI Group consists of the business units Camera Systems, Lighting, and Rental, all dedicated to synergizing creativity and future technologies to enhance moving images and live events. ARRI is a designer and manufacturer with a worldwide distribution and service network. The product portfolio includes digital cameras, lenses, lighting fixtures, apps, and accessories. ARRI also offers first-class services through ARRI Rental’s provision of both standard and exclusive camera, lighting, and grip packages to professional productions around the world. ARRI’s virtual production and innovative workflows solutions boost efficiency for a broad range of studio operators, producers, and corporations.
Riedel Communications
Riedel Communications is a provider of live production tools in the worlds of media, sports, and entertainment. The company’s hard- and software solutions span from distributed video and audio networks over intercom and replay solutions to WAN and MPLS applications. Thanks to Riedel’s holistic approach, its three business units–Product Division, Managed Technology Division, and Networks Division–can leverage powerful synergies to provide flexible infrastructures, tools, and services for both fixed and temporary installations around the globe, enabling Riedel customers to run even the most complex projects on-site, remotely, or in the cloud. Riedel is locally headquartered in Santa Clarita, Calif., with its global headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany. Riedel employs over 1,000 people in 30 locations throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas.
