YouGov has held a 20% stake in SMG Insight since 2010. The acquisition will allow YouGov to develop new syndicated data products for the sports industry.

The remaining 80% stake in the company is being bought from SMG Insight founder and managing director Frank Saez, who will continue in his current role leading the agency.

With 55 employees, SMG Insight specialises in media measurement and sponsorship evaluation for the sports sector.

Stephan Shakespeare, chief executive of YouGov (pictured), said: "For the SMG team, this represents a logical and exciting development as they see a strong partner of many years become a strong and committed parent.

"Frank and his team are leaders in the industry, and this deal represents another positive step in line with our strategy: to align differentiated products and services in a single connected data system and generate new opportunities for growth."

The news of the acquisition came as SMG Insight announced its expansion into Australia and New Zealand, with the appointment of Ned Morris as managing director for the two countries. Morris joins from Repucom/Nielsen where he held the role of director of business solutions.

Based in Melbourne, Morris will be responsible for introducing the company’s research services to the Australian and New Zealand markets, including YouGov SportsIndex, which will measure perceptions of 42 sports properties across 16 brand-style metrics.

Tracy Schoenadel, senior vice-president, managing director of sports, North America, said: "Ned has a track record of delivering growth and making a real difference at the places he has worked. We know that former clients consider him to be a first-class strategist but also someone who can combine that vision with the detail that actionable research requires."

SMG Insight has offices in Australia, the US, the UK, UAE and India.