Even when capital is scarce, a premium private equity player needs to provide more than just money to the businesses it partners.  What added value does 3i deliver to content-owning companies?

For Crevan O'Grady, 3i brings three vital qualities to the companies in which it invests:

• Experience: Although 3i's investment focus is on content and rights ownership, its long track record in the media sector has given it a rich understanding of all aspects of the video value chain.
• In 2000/01, 3i acquired Pinewood and Shepperton studios in the UK and merged them to create a world-class, cost-effective production giant that floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2004.
• Current investee company, Nimbus Communications of India, is primarily focused on ownership of sports rights but 3i has supported its expansion into broadcasting to enable it to make the most of its valuable assets.  As Nimbus's Chairman, Harish Thawani, explains: “We had an excellent pipeline of product.  We had the creative resources required to be able to put it together.  What we lacked was the ability to distribute onto cable.”
  
• Ambition: At the heart of 3i's value creation is the determination to create companies which outpace their peers and achieve truly impressive levels of growth and profitability.  This is achieved by working in Active Partnership with companies across a range of strategic and operational issues, using a hands-on style to deliver the full value of 3i's insight, knowledge and networks.  In Crevan O'Grady's words: “In any business we invest in we are there to add value and we are there to make a difference.”
  
• International outlook: 3i's participation in the video sector ranges from Shanghai-based Focus Media to Santa Monica-based Demand Media.  With video investments across Asia, Europe and North America, 3i is well placed to understand and migrate global trends, while respecting the local factors that make each country's market unique.  As Crevan O'Grady says: “We find that content tends to be local but the big dynamics in the media industry tend to be global and that suits 3i's model very well.”