The Verge reports: “Earlier this week, Comcast made a $65 million offer to acquire most of 21st Century Fox, attempting to derail a Disney-Fox acquisition that was announced last year. Comcast and Disney have both been chasing this deal for months. And although the financial terms for each company are different, they’re looking for the same assets from Fox — which, in turn, is looking to refocus on its core network TV business.”
Tech Crunch reports: “AT&T has sealed the deal to buy Time Warner in a major piece of media and technology consolidation. The deal — which is $85.4 billion and a total of $108 billion with debt — was first announced in October 2016 and, having passed a court approval earlier this week, it was completed on Thursday.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “In an effort to fight off SVODs such as Amazon and Netflix, France’s three major television groups are joining forces to create a joint OTT platform in the hopes it retains viewers. Public broadcaster France Televisions and privately owned M6 and TF1 groups will create an equally-owned joint venture as a stand-alone company.”
Variety reports: “Apple and Oprah Winfrey have a signed a multi-year content partnership. Under the deal, Winfrey and Apple will create programs that will be released as part of Apple’s original content lineup. The deal marks one of the first such agreements struck between Apple and a content creator.”
Hypebot reports: “Sony Music and The Orchard have confirmed that they will share the proceeds from the sale of shares in Spotify with their eligible distributed labels after acquisition costs, bankers and legal fees. Checks are expected to be sent as early as August. Artists signed directly to The Orchard are being paid based on the the royalty rate in their contracts.”
Gamesindustry.biz reports: “Telltale Games co-founder and former CEO Kevin Bruner is suing the company for alleged breach of contract after he stepped down in March 2017. Bruner, who helped launch the company in 2004, was appointed CEO in January 2015 replacing fellow co-founder Dan Connors.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “ICM Partners has formed a joint venture with esports-focused talent agency Evolved, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The partnership, which will give Evolved clients access to ICM’s full-service offerings, will be overseen by International & Independent Film Group managing director Peter Trinh and digital ventures agent Bennett Sherman, who have led ICM’s growth into the gaming business.”
Variety reports: “Sony has responded to growing backlash over the lack of cross-play between the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch versions of Epic Games’ popular online battle royale title ‘Fortnite.’ Many fans are understandably upset. The lack of cross-play means any purchases they’ve made on PS4 won’t carry over to the Switch.”
Tech Crunch reports: “Just in time for the World Cup, Telemundo Deportes, Universal Brand Development and the startup TreasureHunt, have launched a shootout game for the Instant Games platform on Facebook and Messenger. Telemundo Deportes is putting out the game in conjunction with its Spanish-language coverage of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “There’s no guarantee that the future of TV will be mostly online, but the major broadcast news outlets are preparing for that possibility. The latest is NBC News, which is readying an over-the-top streaming service targeted at a younger audience and will begin experimenting with online shows this summer.”
