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WILDBRAIN ANNOUNCES NEW US $415 MILLION SENIOR SECURED CREDIT FACILITY

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New Senior Secured Credit Facility fully funds the repayment of WildBrain’s outstanding convertible debentures and extends its corporate debt maturities to 2029

TORONTO, July 23, 2024 /CNW/ – WildBrain Ltd. (“WildBrain” or the “Company”) (TSX: WILD), a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has entered into an agreement with a group of private lenders, led by Sagard and Comvest Credit Partners, for a new five-year US $415 million Senior Secured Credit Facility consisting of a $375 million term loan and a $40 million revolving credit facility (the “New Facilities”), bearing interest of SOFR plus a range of 5.5% to 6%, depending on the Company’s total leverage ratio. Proceeds from the New Facilities will be used to fully repay the Company’s existing Term Loan, due March 2028, and Revolving Facility, due July 2024. In addition, proceeds from the New Facilities, along with working capital and proceeds of CA $7,250,000 from the exercise of outstanding warrants, have been deposited in escrow with Computershare and will be used to fully repay the Company’s Convertible Unsecured Subordinated Debentures (the “Convertible Debentures”), due September 2024.

Josh Scherba, WildBrain’s President and CEO, said: “This comprehensive plan to refinance our debt and repay our debentures extends our debt maturity as we continue to execute on a growth strategy focused on key franchises and partnerships in the kids’ and family entertainment space. More than ever, major players such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Supercell, SEGA and LEGO are turning to WildBrain for our 360-degree expertise in Content Creation, Audience Engagement and Global Licensing. Sagard is a leader in private credit, and we are pleased that they recognize the value of our business and the inherent opportunity for growth presented by our offering.”

Sagard Chief Investment Officer, Adam Vigna, said: “We are pleased to provide a tailored private credit solution which extends WildBrain’s maturity profile and which we believe will enable the Company to execute on its strategic vision.”

Sagard and Comvest Credit Partners acted as Co-Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners on the refinancing. Goodmans LLP and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP acted as counsel to WildBrain and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as lender counsel in the transaction. The credit agreement in respect of the Senior Facility will be available on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Investors: Kathleen Persaud – VP Investor Relations, WildBrain
kathleen.persaud@wildbrain.com
+1 212-405-6089

Media: Shaun Smith – Sr. Director, Global Communications & Public Relations, WildBrain
shaun.smith@wildbrain.com
+1 416-977-7230

About WildBrain

At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. As a leader in 360° franchise management, we are experts in content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, cultivating and growing love for our own and partner brands with kids and families around the world. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library—one of the world’s most extensive—we are home to such treasured franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi. WildBrain’s mission is to create exceptional entertainment experiences that captivate and delight fans both young and young at heart.

Our studios produce such award-winning series as The Snoopy Show; Snoopy in Space; Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City; Sonic Prime; Chip and Potato; Teletubbies Let’s Go! and many more. Enjoyed in more than 150 countries on over 500 platforms, our content is everywhere kids and families view entertainment, including YouTube, where our network has garnered over 1 trillion minutes of watch time. Our television group owns and operates some of Canada’s most-viewed family entertainment channels. WildBrain CPLG, our leading consumer-products and location-based entertainment agency, represents our owned and partner properties in every major territory worldwide. 

WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.

About Sagard

Sagard is a global multi-strategy alternative asset management firm with more than US $25B under management, 150+ portfolio companies, and 300 professionals. Sagard invests in venture capital, private equity, private credit, real estate, and royalties. With offices in Canada, the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Sagard provides flexible capital, an entrepreneurial culture, and a global network of investors, commercial partners, advisors, and value-creation experts. For more information, visit www.sagard.com.

About Comvest Credit Partners

Comvest Credit Partners, the direct lending platform of Comvest Partners, focuses on providing flexible financing solutions to middle-market companies. Comvest Credit Partners provides senior secured, unitranche, and second lien capital to sponsored and non-sponsored companies in support of growth, acquisitions, buyouts, refinancings, and recapitalizations, with credit facilities up to $250 million-plus. For more information, please visit comvest.com/direct-lending.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” under applicable securities laws with respect to the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include the availability of and cost of financing, general economic and market conditions and the impact of such conditions on the industries in which WildBrain operates, competition and the potential impact of industry mergers and acquisitions, market factors, WildBrain’s ability to identify and execute anticipated production, distribution, licensing and other contracts, contractual counterparty risk, the ability of WildBrain to realize the expected value of its assets, supply chain and other related disruptions, and risk factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent Annual Information Form and annual Management Discussion and Analysis. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

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Profile Customization Habits Come Into Focus in Soulmatemeets Analysis

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What users choose to show — and quietly leave blank — reveals something profound about digital self-presentation, Soulmatemeets finds.

GIBRALTAR, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — There is a particular kind of care that goes into the small, almost invisible decisions people make before they ever say a word in an online space. The choice of a display name, the selection of a profile image, the subtle arrangement of a bio that says enough without saying too much — these are acts of self-presentation that unfold in private, away from the scroll of conversation, in the quiet margins of a platform where no one is watching. And yet, taken together, Soulmatemeets finds they begin to form a picture worth pausing over.

Drawn from aggregated, anonymized behavioral patterns observed across its user base, a new internal analysis from Soulmatemeets offers a measured look at how people approach the customization of their digital profiles — not in sweeping, dramatic terms, but in the patient, accumulating way that data tends to reveal human behavior when given enough time and enough people.

Soulmatemeets’ study suggests that the choice of profile images yielded some nuance. Abstract or illustrative images — patterns, illustrations, stylized icons — were selected more frequently than photographs across most user segments, a finding that aligns with broader research into digital identity construction, which has long noted the preference, in informal or interest-based spaces, for symbolic self-representation over literal portraiture.

Short bios, when completed, tended to favor the particular over the general — a named hobby, a specific place, a single sentence that gestures toward personality without overexplaining it. Brevity, it appears, is not absence. It is a form of curation, according to Soulmatemeets.

Soulmatemeets’ analysis does not claim to resolve the larger questions that surround digital self-presentation. Those questions — about authenticity, about performance, about the distance or Soulmatemeets that screen names create — belong to a much longer conversation. What the data from Soulmatemeets study offers instead is a set of quiet observations: that profile completeness and conversational engagement tend to move together; that customization is less a prerequisite to participation than an accompaniment to it; and that the small expressive choices available to users are not merely decorative but functional, even social.

It would be easy to read these findings in purely instrumental terms — as a guide to what features might drive engagement, or what design choices might nudge users toward fuller profiles. But there is another reading available, one that is perhaps more in keeping with what Soulmatemeets has set out to be. The platform’s interest in this data is, at its core, an interest in how people make themselves at home in a shared space — in what it takes for a digital environment to feel, over time, genuinely inhabited rather than merely visited. Soulmatemeets continues to examine these patterns not to optimize for metrics, but to better understand what makes a space feel worth returning to.

About Soulmatemeets

Soulmatemeets came into being as an attempt to make room for something that can be surprisingly hard to find online: conversation that feels genuinely good to be part of. The platform is designed around the idea that people benefit from spaces where they can exchange stories, share what’s on their minds, or simply spend a few minutes talking with someone they wouldn’t otherwise encounter — without the ambient weight of metrics, virality, or noise. There is a deliberate lightness to what Soulmatemeets offers, a sense that the point is the exchange itself, not what comes after it. Users arrive from different places and different states of mind, and the hope — reflected in every small design decision — is that most of them leave feeling, in some modest but real sense, a little better than when they came.

Media Contact

Debbie Hammond, Soulmatemeets, 1 14844578736, review@soulmatemeets.com, https://soulmatemeets.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/profile-customization-habits-come-into-focus-in-soulmatemeets-analysis-302759956.html

SOURCE Soulmatemeets

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Global Automotive Lead Acid Battery Market | USA, South Korea, European Union Lead | Clarios, Exide Technologies, GS Yuasa Drive Reliable Automotive Energy Storage Transition

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NEWARK, Del., May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — According to the latest analysis by Future Market Insights, the global automotive lead acid battery market is entering a stable growth phase, driven by expanding vehicle populations, rising replacement demand, and increasing adoption of start-stop vehicle technologies. Valued at USD 31.3 billion in 2025, the market is projected to reach USD 52.40 billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 5.3%.

For automotive OEMs, aftermarket distributors, and battery manufacturers, lead acid batteries are no longer viewed as purely conventional power sources—they remain essential infrastructure supporting vehicle ignition, auxiliary electronics, and energy management systems across passenger, commercial, and hybrid vehicles.

Quick Stats – Automotive Lead Acid Battery Market

Market Size (2025): USD 31.3 BillionForecast Value (2035): USD 52.40 BillionCAGR (2025–2035): 5.3%Leading Battery Type: Flooded Batteries (60.0% Market Share)Fast-Growing Technology Segment: AGM Batteries (30.0% Market Share)Dominant End Market: OEM Vehicle Production (62.38% Share)Key Growth Markets: United States (5.4%), South Korea (5.3%), European Union (5.3%)Key Players: Clarios (Johnson Controls), Exide Technologies, GS Yuasa Corporation, East Penn Manufacturing, EnerSys

Get detailed market forecasts, competitive benchmarking, and pricing trends:
https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1482

Executive Insight for Decision Makers

The automotive lead acid battery market is at a strategic transition point where reliability, affordability, and compatibility with modern vehicle electronics are redefining energy storage demand. Despite the rise of electric mobility, lead acid batteries continue to serve as the backbone of starting, lighting, ignition (SLI), and auxiliary vehicle systems.

Organizations that fail to upgrade toward advanced AGM and Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) technologies risk losing competitiveness in start-stop and hybrid vehicle platforms. Meanwhile, manufacturers investing in improved cycling durability, maintenance-free designs, and recycling efficiency are strengthening long-term market positioning.

Market Momentum: Powering Vehicle Reliability and Energy Management

Three structural forces are accelerating market demand globally:

Growing Vehicle Population: Expanding global vehicle fleets are creating sustained replacement battery demandStart-Stop Technology Adoption: Fuel-efficiency regulations are driving AGM and EFB battery integrationIncreasing Vehicle Electronics: Advanced infotainment, ADAS, and onboard electronics require robust auxiliary power systems

Automotive lead acid batteries are evolving from commodity components into optimized energy storage systems supporting modern vehicle architectures.

Segment Leadership Defining Market Direction

Flooded Batteries (60.0%) dominate due to low cost, proven reliability, and widespread aftermarket adoptionAGM Batteries (30.0%) are gaining traction in premium and start-stop vehicles requiring enhanced cycling performanceOEM Segment (62.38%) leads through long-term supply contracts with global automotive manufacturers

Demand is expanding across passenger vehicles, commercial fleets, hybrid vehicles, and micro-hybrid systems where reliability and cost efficiency remain critical.

Speak to Analyst: Customize insights for your business strategy:     
https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-1482

Regional Growth Landscape

United States (5.4% CAGR): Growth supported by large vehicle fleet and strong aftermarket demandSouth Korea (5.3% CAGR): Advanced automotive manufacturing and start-stop vehicle integration driving expansionEuropean Union (5.3% CAGR): Emission regulations accelerating AGM battery adoptionJapan (5.2% CAGR): Technology leadership in hybrid and premium vehicle battery systemsIndia (5.0% CAGR): Rising vehicle ownership and expanding automotive production fueling demand

Global market expansion remains closely tied to vehicle production volumes, replacement cycles, and increasing electrification of automotive systems.

Competitive Landscape: Reliability Meets Technology Advancement

The automotive lead acid battery market remains highly competitive, with manufacturers focusing on durability, charge acceptance, and recycling efficiency:

Clarios (Johnson Controls) – Leading global OEM and aftermarket battery supply platformsExide Technologies – Expanding advanced lead acid and recycling capabilitiesGS Yuasa Corporation – Strengthening premium AGM and hybrid battery solutionsEast Penn Manufacturing – Advancing high-performance maintenance-free battery technologiesEnerSys – Expanding commercial and industrial automotive battery applications

Competition is increasingly defined by battery lifespan, cold-cranking performance, recycling infrastructure, and compatibility with modern vehicle energy systems.

Strategic Takeaways

OEMs: Integrate AGM and EFB technologies to support start-stop and hybrid platformsBattery Manufacturers: Focus on longer lifecycle, maintenance-free operation, and sustainable recyclingAftermarket Distributors: Expand premium battery portfolios to capture replacement demandInvestors: Target companies supporting reliable automotive electrification and energy storage upgrades

Why This Market Matters

The automotive lead acid battery market remains a foundational pillar of the global automotive ecosystem. While new battery chemistries continue to emerge, lead acid technology retains a critical role due to its affordability, reliability, mature recycling infrastructure, and compatibility with conventional and hybrid vehicles.

As vehicle fleets expand and automotive electronics become increasingly complex, demand for dependable and cost-effective energy storage solutions will remain resilient across both OEM and aftermarket channels.

For forward-looking stakeholders, this market represents not just steady expansion—but a long-term opportunity driven by evolving vehicle architectures, sustainable recycling ecosystems, and the ongoing modernization of global transportation systems.

Unlock 360° insights for strategic decision making and investment planning:      
https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/1482  

Related Reports:  

Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market – https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/motorcycle-lead-acid-battery-market

Automotive Battery Pack Compression Pad Market – https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-battery-pack-compression-pad-market

Automotive Battery Pack Fire Barrier Pad Market – https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-battery-pack-fire-barrier-pad-market

Automotive Battery Tester Market – https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-battery-tester-market

Automotive Battery Disconnect Unit (BDU) Market – https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-battery-disconnect-unit-bdu-market

About Future Market Insights (FMI)  

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. Headquartered in Delaware, USA, with a global delivery center in India and offices in the UK and UAE, FMI delivers actionable insights to businesses across industries including automotive, technology, consumer products, manufacturing, energy, and chemicals.  

An ESOMAR-certified research organization, FMI provides custom and syndicated market reports and consulting services, supporting both Fortune 1,000 companies and SMEs. Its team of 300+ experienced analysts ensures credible, data-driven insights to help clients navigate global markets and identify growth opportunities.  

For Press & Corporate Inquiries 
Rahul Singh  
AVP – Marketing and Growth Strategy  
Future Market Insights, Inc.  
+91 8600020075  
For Sales - sales@futuremarketinsights.com  
For Media - Rahul.singh@futuremarketinsights.com  
For web - https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/
For Web: https://www.factmr.com/

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SOURCE Future Market Insights

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Sowell Management Launches Advisor Partnership Program Providing Equity in the Firm and Growth Capital to Affiliated Advisors

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Sowell partners with Merchant to fund the program, accelerate the firm’s M&A strategy and build on strong momentum

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark., May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sowell Management (Sowell), a leading Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) serving financial advisors and their clients nationwide, announced the launch of its Advisor Partnership Program (APP) to provide its new and existing advisors with the resources and capital needed to grow their practices and plan for their futures. Additionally, Sowell announced it is partnering with Merchant for a capital infusion to fund APP, enhance its technology and investment management capabilities, and execute an ambitious M&A strategy to accelerate its momentum in the evolving, consolidating independent wealth management sector. 

Designed for both current advisors and those considering joining, APP provides a meaningful opportunity to participate in the equity and long-term enterprise value of Sowell. Backed by strategic capital, APP is built to drive growth, operational scale and new opportunities. It also provides for succession and continuity planning, allowing advisors to create a defined path for their future on their own terms.

“As we considered the next chapter of our growth, we wanted to demonstrate our appreciation for our advisors’ loyalty and their dedication to serving clients with distinction, while giving them additional incentive to support the ongoing success of the firm,” said Daryl Seaton, CEO, Sowell Management. “We created our Advisor Partnership Program to ensure it reflected the values and culture that have made Sowell a unique presence in the RIA space for the past 25 years. We have always treated our advisors as partners in the business, and our new Program enables us to formalize that approach.”

Sowell has experienced steady growth since its founding in 2001 as one of the nation’s earliest RIAs. It has grown to over $6.5 billion in client assets through organic growth and traditional recruiting of advisors drawn to the firm’s straightforward approach to financial planning, investment management, and client service.

As the industry evolved over the years, so has Sowell, increasing investment management solutions through a CIO model, adding a private wealth division with Cache River, enhancing its technology, marketing, and business development support, and building out an impressive leadership team with expertise from across wealth management. The new APP and partnership with Merchant will propel Sowell into its next phase of growth.

“Scale has become increasingly critical for sustained success in wealth management, and it will become more so as the industry continues to consolidate,” said Bill Sowell, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Sowell Management. “After a thorough due diligence process, we invited Merchant to be the partner who will take us into the future. Merchant’s team has a deep understanding of the RIA space and respect for what we have built here at Sowell under the current leadership team.”

Merchant is a well-respected global operating company providing growth capital, strategic resources, and support to independent financial services firms. Merchant’s ecosystem comprises over 130+ partner firms and RIA practices in six countries, collectively managing more than $340 billion in assets.

“Sowell is an ideal partner firm for us,” said Matt Brinker, Managing Partner at Merchant. “With Daryl and Bill at the helm, they lead a strong management team that knows where they want to take the business and be a premier destination for established financial advisors serving the needs of sophisticated clients. The firm’s Midwest roots, values, and approach to wealth management are refreshing, and we look forward to supporting their continued growth and making their vision a reality.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Sowell Management
Sowell Management is a privately held Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and a trusted partner to financial advisors. Founded by financial advisor Bill Sowell in 2001, Sowell Management provides a transformative platform of services and solutions to guide advisors on the path toward true independence. Sowell has a nationwide network of financial advisors representing over $6.5 billion* in client assets (AUA/AUM) as of April 2026.

*Regulatory assets under management (AUM) are assets where Sowell provides continuous and regular supervisory or management services to client portfolios. Assets under administration (AUA) is a measure of the total assets for which Sowell provides administrative services. Working with a highly rated advisor does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. 

For more information, visit sowellmanagement.com.

Media Contact
Haven Tower Group
Brandon Blackwell
(424) 317-4868
bblackwell@haventower.com

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SOURCE Sowell Management

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