Arri Has Been Acquired by German Entrepreneur Thomas Riedel

Thomas Riedel, the founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, acquired the German motion picture technology company Arri, best known for its professional cinema cameras and lighting technology.

Reports that Arri’s owners were considering selling popped up last August, with the company’s owners working with outside consultants to streamline the operation and help it navigate an increasingly challenging professional cinema industry. The legendary German cinema company then shook up its lighting segment a few months later, which seemed to align with its reported goals of strengthening the company’s financial situation, whether to gear up for a sale or improve its long-term prospects.

Arri has been family-owned since its founding back in 1917, so today’s news is a significant shakeup for the long-term professional cinema technology firm. However, one thing that won’t change is that Arri will remain under German ownership.

“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,” says Dr. Walter Stahl, Managing Director of Arri GmbH and member of the founding family.

Thomas Riedel, from Wuppertal in western Germany, is best known as the founder of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, both of which are globally recognized specialists in audio/video, data technology, and video infrastructure solutions. Riedel Group delivers solutions for broadcast, live event, and sports productions worldwide. Riedel Communications has headquarters in Santa Clarita, California, and Wuppertal. The company has 1,000 employees at 30 locations throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas.

It is worth noting that Thomas Riedel himself, not either of his companies, has acquired Arri. However, Arri is clear that there will be a strong strategic connection between Arri and the Riedel Group, of which Riedel is the 100 percent shareholder, moving forward. With Riedel’s acquisition of Arri, the Riedel Group will now have access to technology across the entire video workflow, including Arri’s cameras, lenses, lighting, back-end technology, and distribution channels.

“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,” Arri says.

Riedel aims to leverage Arri’s technology to expand into new areas of growth in live entertainment and sports production, and to develop new, more integrated solutions for video customers. It won’t take long for Riedel to utilize Arri’s technology, as Riedel will debut Arri camera technology at the Eurovision Song Contest in a month.

Although Arri’s ownership is changing, much of the company appears to be remaining the same. Arri’s existing management team will continue to lead the company, and Arri will retain independent operations at its Munich headquarters.

“Thomas Riedel has built a first-generation family business and stands for entrepreneurial continuity and long-term thinking,” says 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,” adds 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,” Thomas Riedel says. “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.”

Image credits: Arri, Riedel Group