The ranks of media owners and entertainment companies are poised for their biggest makeover in a generation. Media titans such as Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery are cleaving off their cable-television channels, while television-station operators such as Allen Media and Apollo Global Management are exploring selling dozens of stations. Cox and Charter, two of the biggest cable and broadband companies, have agreed to merge.
Source: The Media and Entertainment Deal Machine Is Revving Up
Academic publishers are rushing to sign licensing deals with artificial intelligence companies, carving out a new revenue stream as US research funding cuts dim their outlook. Taylor & Francis signed a $10 million deal with Microsoft Corp. last year. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is looking to “monetize academic content through AI deals,” it said in its latest set of results, and John Wiley & Sons Inc. announced partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Perplexity earlier this year.
Source: Academic Publishers Sign AI Deals as Trump Cuts Research Funding
Anthem Music Publishing has acquired the catalog of songs from legendary Country-Western singer-songwriter Marty Robbins. The catalog represents a cornerstone of American music history, marking a powerful addition to Anthem’s growing collection of culturally significant works. “Marty Robbins is a towering figure in American music—an artist whose storytelling transcended genre and era,” said Jason Klein, CEO of Anthem Music Group.
Source: Anthem Music Publishing Acquires Song Catalog of Marty Robbins
Disney said in a securities filing on Monday that it had agreed to pay Comcast an additional $439 million for full control of the streaming service, ending a year and a half dispute over the amount. Disney had argued that it owed Comcast nothing beyond the $8.6 billion it already paid for Comcast’s 33 percent stake — and Comcast countered that Disney owed another $5 billion. Eventually, a third-party appraiser was brought in.
Source: Disney Takes Full Control of Hulu for Billions Less Than Comcast Wanted
Sony Music Publishing has acquired Hipgnosis Songs Group LLC, previously known as Big Deal Music, from Blackstone’s Recognition Music Group, sources involved in the deal have confirmed. Big Deal Music was acquired by Hipgnosis Songs Fund in September 2020. As well as bringing 4,400 copyrights into Hipgnosis, that deal included the company’s US publishing admin business, Words & Music.
Source: Sony acquires company formerly known as Big Deal Music from Recognition
HarbourView Equity Partners has secured $500 million in additional debt financing from investment giant KKR, secured via a private securitization backed by its music portfolio. This latest transaction follows a previous $500 million in debt financing secured by HarbourView in March 2024, through a private securitization backed by its catalog of music royalties, and led by KKR.
Source: HarbourView secures $500m in additional debt financing from KKR
Tony Latham, a music industry veteran, has founded Royalty Access Studio (RAS), a platform to provide advances against future royalty payments to artists and songwriters worldwide. Latham’s new project promises “transparent and ethical alternative to traditional royalty financing, with a streamlined application process, no credit checks, and straightforward documentation.”
The deal brings to a close one of the music industry’s most high-profile ownership disputes. Swift confirmed the news on Friday (May 30) in a handwritten letter to her fans. The transaction involves the master rights to Swift’s albums Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation – recordings that have been at the center of a six-year battle over artist ownership rights.
Source: Taylor Swift buys back master rights to first six albums from Shamrock Capital
Audiobook sales returned to a double-digit growth rate in 2024, increasing 13% over 2023, according to the just-released Audio Publishers Association Sales Survey. After a number of years of sales growing at a rate of at least 10% annually, sales rose 9% in 2023. Last year, total sales from the APA members who supply data increased to $2.22 billion; the bump was driven, unsurprisingly, by digital audio.
Rezonate Music Rights has launched with $150 million in backing from Bridgepoint Credit to acquire music producer royalty rights globally. The London-based investment platform was co-founded by Cam Blackwood, the producer behind albums by artists George Ezra, Tom Walker, and Jack Savoretti, and Tom Tyler, who has over 20 years of experience in senior financial roles at the London Stock Exchange Group.
Source: Rezonate Music Rights launches with $150m backing from Bridgepoint to acquire producer catalogs