Above: Christian Richter, ARRI Managing Director; Frank Eischet, Riedel CFO; David Bermbach, ARRI Managing Director; Thomas Riedel, Riedel Group CEO; Christoph Stahl, Member of the ARRI founding family.
ARRI has been acquired by Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group.
As I sailor, I’ve admired the great video and audio coverage of SailGP high speed “F1 on the water” races. The reason has been the same Thomas Riedel, co-owner of the SailGP Germany Team with F1 champion Sebastian Vettel.
Both ARRI and the Reidel Group are family-owned. ARRI was founded in 1917 by classmates August Arnold and Robert Richter on Tuerkenstrasse in Munich.
Thomas Riedel founded Riedel Communications in 1987 in Wuppertal, Germany. The story goes that he started with five walkie-talkies. Today, with more than 1000 employees, Riedel operates from 30 locations worldwide. They are a major manufacturer, distributor and rental company of video, audio and data equipment for live entertainment, sports, broadcast, events, etc. In addition to SailGP, that includes the Olympics, Red Bull, Eurovision, etc.
The ARRI press release today explains:
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 camera, lighting and systems technology complements the Riedel Group’s existing portfolio and opens up new technological and strategic market opportunities for both companies.
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 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.
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.”
