Amazon acquiring MGM Studios in $8.45 billion deal
Amazon hopes to spur its entertainment division with the purchase of MGM, a massive entertainment publisher known for titles like "James Bond" and "Rocky."
Amazon buys MGM
Amazon Prime Video will be able to bolster its exclusive content package using the large back catalog of MGM. The $8.45 billion deal is its biggest purchase since Whole Foods in 2017.
"The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM's talented team," said Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. "It's very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling."
The content catalog for MGM stretches across 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows. Much of the content is strewn about other distributors like Hulu, and the deal will likely affect existing licensing. The Fox original series "Fargo" and Hulu's popular "Handmaid's Tale" both belong to the studio.
MGM has published blockbuster titles like:
MGM has been in acquisition talks with various companies for over a year. Apple had reportedly met with MGM for a potential purchase in January 2020, but no deal was ever reached. Apple also sought to buy content from MGM's movie service, Epix, which never came to fruition.
The deal is subject to customary regulatory approval.
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Amazon buys MGM
Amazon Prime Video will be able to bolster its exclusive content package using the large back catalog of MGM. The $8.45 billion deal is its biggest purchase since Whole Foods in 2017.
"The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM's talented team," said Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. "It's very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling."
The content catalog for MGM stretches across 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows. Much of the content is strewn about other distributors like Hulu, and the deal will likely affect existing licensing. The Fox original series "Fargo" and Hulu's popular "Handmaid's Tale" both belong to the studio.
MGM has published blockbuster titles like:
- James Bond
- Rocky
- Robocop
- Pink Panther
- Stargate franchise television
- Bill and Ted
- Child's Play
- Legally Blond
- Vikings
- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
MGM has been in acquisition talks with various companies for over a year. Apple had reportedly met with MGM for a potential purchase in January 2020, but no deal was ever reached. Apple also sought to buy content from MGM's movie service, Epix, which never came to fruition.
The deal is subject to customary regulatory approval.
Follow all the details of WWDC 2021 with the comprehensive AppleInsider coverage of the whole week-long event from June 7 through June 11, including details of all the new launches and updates.
Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get the latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.
Comments
Choice is always good and there's no accounting for taste. There are also 'shows of the moment' that may or may not age well.
If Apple really wanted a foot in the VoD door it should have acquired Netflix long ago.
A small spread of content, no matter its quality, won't help move things today.
The silver lining is that if you come up with a hit show like Friends, Stranger Things or X-Files you can reap the rewards, while the less successful content is still in the catalog and potentially serving niches within your subscription base.
If you are pumping money into production too, you can licence off anything that may not be fitting for your main platform.
It might take a while for the catalogue to grow and it may not be profitable for a time, but if you have to cash and commitment to keep the business alive...
For many people, Apple simply isn't offering a big enough spread with a decent mix. That will change over time or they may decide to acquire an established catalogue (and maybe paying through the nose for it).
My biggest peeve about Prime is the lack of a wall between included content and content that must be purchased. I often look to stream something and see that it's on Prime through my web search results. Then I click to go to the app, and it's only available for rent or purchase. With Netflix, HBO, etc...it's either there or not. Prime is more than video, but perhaps the shipping and media streaming should be separate services.
I haven’t had complaints about the UI of the Amazon app on iOS (iPad), except for the organization/categorization, as you said above.
The Vizio TV app definitely has bad UI design (double press to pause, for starters), but that’s the case with all “smart TV” apps (they’re all sluggish & badly designed garbage), and Amazon’s isn’t even the worst.
Disney+ isn’t even usable. We were forced to connect my girlfriend’s MacBook Pro to the TV just to use the service at all (mine is too old, apparently, to stream 1080p through a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI without heating up and stuttering). And the Disney+ website repeatedly gets forced to reload in Safari, every 10-20 minutes (on Firefox it doesn’t, but there the movie is streamed in lower resolution!!).
“Picky on contents being shown”
Yes, ORIGINAL content. That’s what makes AppleTV+ different and not “another Netflix”. I called it years ago that Apple would do something innovative in the space(doesn’t take a Nostradamus) and they have. Original content, Spacial Audio and more are coming.
In 2-5 years Apple’s catalog will be killer and 100% original! Tim says Apple does things for the long run.
With that said, Apple should still buy old content and license it to 3rd parties or bundle it into a separate service. That would be the smart thing to do. This way they can make money outside AppleTV+ while keeping the allure of original programming. For example, license an old catalog to Netflix so they make money off BOTH AppleTV+ and Netflix. Think of it as a “Beats”.