Media & Entertainment Acquisitions in 2024

McClatchy has completed a merger with accelerate360 to form the McClatchy Media Company (MMC), combining McClatchy's local journalism with a360media's lifestyle content and accelerate360's retail distribution and logistics network. Chatham Asset Management is the majority owner of the new company, which will operate a unified digital publishing and retail distribution platform reaching roughly 100 million unique visitors and access to over 56,000 retail locations.

Build A Rocket Boy, the Edinburgh-based independent game developer led by Leslie Benzies, has acquired Cambridge-based PlayFusion. The deal brings PlayFusion's team and IP into Build A Rocket Boy to accelerate development of AAA games, user-generated-content tools (ARCADIA), and the EVERYWHERE entertainment platform.

Events.com, an event management platform based in La Jolla, California, has acquired the Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival, a three-day waterfront festival in San Diego. The acquisition expands Events.com's Southern California festival portfolio and will allow the company to integrate its ticketing, event management and digital engagement tools into the festival's operations.

Carpenter Media Group has acquired M. Roberts Media, a family-owned Texas publisher that owns seven newspapers and multiple magazines and marketing businesses serving South and East Texas. The deal transfers control of titles including the Victoria Advocate, Longview News-Journal and Tyler Morning Telegraph to Carpenter as it expands its community-news footprint; terms were not disclosed.

TNL Mediagene completed its previously announced business combination with special-purpose acquisition company Blue Ocean Acquisition Corp and began trading on NASDAQ under the ticker TNMG on December 6, 2024. The combined company is a pan-Asian digital media and data group operating brands in Japan and Taiwan and offers advertising technology, data products, events and e-commerce services to advertisers and consumers.

Chattanooga-based media platform Firecrown has acquired Active Interest Media's Marine Group, including consumer titles such as Sail, Anglers Journal, Power & Motoryacht and Yachts International. Firecrown said it will retain the group's editorial, sales and publishing staff and plans to invest in the next generation of the marine brands as it expands its affluent enthusiast media portfolio.

M80, an international esports and gaming organization, has acquired esports organization Beastcoast, integrating Beastcoast’s teams, creators, and media business into M80’s platform. The deal brings Beastcoast’s Dota 2 team, a large Pokemon media business, key staff (including CEO Grant Zinn) and audience reach to accelerate M80’s expansion into new esports titles and global fan markets.

KnoWEwell, P.B.C. has acquired Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation, the publisher and franchisor of the Natural Awakenings magazine network. The acquisition brings together KnoWEwell's regenerative whole-health digital hub with Natural Awakenings' print and franchise network (46 U.S. territories, ~1.3M monthly readers) to create an integrated digital and print leader in whole-health and sustainable living content; terms were not disclosed.

Denver entrepreneur Charity Huff, through her company 5280 Elevated, Inc., has acquired longtime city magazine 5280 from founder Daniel Brogan. The acquisition, financed by FirstBank, will keep the existing local team in place while expanding the magazine's digital offerings and transforming 5280 into a broader multimedia brand.

The Gersh Agency (a Crestview Partners-backed agency) has acquired You First, a Madrid-based global sports and entertainment agency, doubling Gersh’s headcount to more than 600 and expanding its global footprint to roughly 22 offices across 14+ countries. The deal was financed with equity from existing shareholders and a new term loan arranged by Monroe Capital; You First CEO Juan Aísa will join Gersh's board and continue to run the business from Madrid.

Dow Jones has acquired WorldECR, a London-based specialist publisher and data provider focused on export controls, trade sanctions and regulatory compliance. WorldECR will join Dow Jones Risk & Compliance to strengthen Dow Jones's editorial, data and events offerings for compliance professionals across corporations, law firms, governments and financial institutions.

HarperCollins Germany (part of HarperCollins Publishers) has agreed to acquire Gräfe und Unzer, the long-established German guidebook and consumer publisher formerly part of the Ganske publishing group. The deal will significantly expand HarperCollins' German operations across cookbooks, health & wellness, gardening and travel guide lines and is subject to German antitrust review.

WI FL Acquisition, LLC — a new entity formed by former majority owners Mark Bellissimo, Marsha Dammerman, Lisa Lourie, and Roger Smith — has completed the acquisition of Wellington International from Global Equestrian Group. The buyer group named Murray S. Kessler as CEO and said it will invest in the showgrounds and infrastructure to support the Winter Equestrian Festival and year-round events.

Gladstone Investment Corporation partnered with Scott Dunlop and Pyrotek’s executive management to acquire Pyrotek Special Effects on November 22, 2024, providing equity and senior secured debt to complete the transaction. Pyrotek, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a provider of special effects and event production services for live entertainment and will continue to be led by CEO Scott Dunlop.

Teton Ridge has acquired The Cowboy Channel, the Cowgirl Channel and The Cowboy Channel+ from Rural Media Group, making Teton Ridge the largest rights holder in Western sports. The deal includes an exclusive licensing agreement with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and retains existing distribution agreements across cable, satellite and streaming platforms.

Hachette Book Group (HBG) has acquired Union Square & Co. (formerly Sterling Publishing) from Barnes & Noble. The deal transfers Union Square's staff, publishing assets, trademarks, and distribution responsibilities to HBG; no purchase price was disclosed.

LeBron James' SpringHill Co. is entering a merger of equals with British producer Fulwell 73 to create a larger, cross-genre entertainment company. The combined business will be backed by investors including Fenway Sports Group, RedBird Capital Partners, UC Investments, Nike, Epic Games, Main Street Advisors and Eldridge Industries to fund growth and broaden capabilities across scripted, unscripted and brand ventures.

ECI Partners has invested in Insurance Insider (Insider Publishing Limited), a London-based digital market intelligence platform serving the global P&C and specialty (re)insurance markets, in a transaction with Delinian. ECI will partner with Insurance Insider's management to accelerate growth, expand product capabilities and serve more customers in the UK and US; the deal is expected to complete before the end of 2024.

Reliance Industries has completed a joint venture with Viacom18 and The Walt Disney Company that merges Viacom18’s media and JioCinema businesses into Star India Private Limited (SIPL). Reliance invested ₹11,500 crore (~US$1.4 billion) as growth capital, will operate and consolidate the JV, and separately bought Paramount Global’s 13.01% stake in Viacom18 for ₹4,286 crore; the JV is valued at ~₹70,352 crore (~US$8.5 billion) post-money.

MJ Foundation Fundacja Rodzinna, a company related to Mateusz Juroszek, acquired 115,604 shares in Gentoo Media Inc. at SEK 24,996 per share. After the transaction, close associates of Mateusz Juroszek hold 24,027,766 shares in Gentoo; the transaction was disclosed under Norwegian Securities Trading Act rules.

Bluestone Equity Partners made a strategic growth investment in Volo Sports, the largest provider of social and recreational sports leagues and events in the United States, to support expansion of its operations, technology, and M&A capabilities. As part of the investment, Bluestone’s Walker Brumskine will join Volo’s board and the deal represents Bluestone’s sixth investment from its inaugural $300 million fund.

Fastbreak.ai, an AI-driven sports scheduling and logistics SaaS provider, has acquired SEQL, a youth sports impact company that connects student-athletes with brands, leagues, and cities. SEQL will be rebranded as Fastbreak Connect and its co-founders will join Fastbreak's leadership as the combined business expands Fastbreak.ai’s capabilities in brand engagement and social-impact programs for youth sports.

Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: DSP) has acquired IRIS.TV, a content data platform for Connected TV (CTV) that indexes millions of streaming video files and integrates with hundreds of publishers and platforms. IRIS.TV will continue to operate independently under its co-founders, and the deal is intended to expand Viant's CTV content identification and contextual targeting capabilities across premium publishers and ad platforms.

TransPerfect has acquired an Amsterdam-area dubbing and localization studio from Swedish language and technology company Plint. The studio will join the TransPerfect Media network as TransPerfect Media Amsterdam to strengthen local in-market dubbing and localization capabilities for media and entertainment clients in the Netherlands.

Clarion Events has acquired Eaton Hall, a specialist organizer of highly targeted, face-to-face, pre-arranged meetings-based forums, and will fold the business into a new division called Clarion Connect. Eaton Hall founder Scott Goldman will remain as Chairman of Eaton Hall as Clarion consolidates its 1-to-1 events capabilities across North America and UK/Europe.

GameAbove Sports, a CapStone Holdings company, has acquired a meaningful ownership stake in the Brisbane Bullets of Australia’s NBL, with NBA Hall of Famer George Gervin joining the ownership group. The investment is positioned as a strategic entry into the Australian sports market ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics to raise the franchise’s profile and support growth initiatives.

Beringer Capital portfolio company Inman has acquired Blueprint from Connectiv Holdings LLC, adding the Blueprint conference and community to Inman’s events and media portfolio. The deal expands Inman’s coverage across the built-world / real estate ecosystem and strengthens its events offering, with Inman committing to further investment in the Blueprint brand.

Accel Entertainment completed the acquisition of an 85% ownership interest in Toucan Gaming, LLC and LSM Gaming, LLC (collectively "Toucan") for approximately $40 million. The deal expands Accel's footprint into Louisiana — adding 13 truck stop locations (450 terminals) and 60 three-machine locations (180 terminals) — and leaves Stan Guidroz with a 15% interest as CEO to lead the combined business.

Two Circles has acquired Swedish sports media agency Spring Media Group to add media rights, live production and streaming capabilities to its offering. The deal keeps Spring Media's leadership in place and expands Two Circles' broadcast reach across Europe, including the DACH region.

Clarion Events, Inc. has acquired Information Forecast, Inc. (Infocast), a producer of renewable energy-focused conferences and dealmaking events. The acquisition strengthens Clarion's Energy portfolio, provides resources for Infocast's growth and international expansion, and enhances Clarion's position in the renewable energy events market.

Amuze, a national arcade and amusement solutions company backed by Surge Private Equity, has acquired Ferris Music Service, Inc. and its ATM division Mainely ATMs to strengthen its presence in Maine. The acquisition—financed by WhiteHorse Capital—adds Ferris's more than 1,200 amusement games and 240 ATMs to Amuze's network and will be integrated with Amuze's operating brands including Bar Partners.

An investor group led by EQT, alongside CPP Investments and Temasek, has completed its previously announced acquisition of Keywords Studios. Keywords Studios' ordinary shares have ceased trading on AIM and the company has been delisted; the investors say the deal will support Keywords' growth, technology investment and value‑accretive acquisition strategy.

La Française des Jeux (FDJ) successfully completed a public tender offer for Kindred Group plc, acquiring at least 98.60% of the company’s share capital and initiating a squeeze-out to buy remaining shares. The acquisition brings Kindred’s digital gaming and betting capabilities into FDJ, significantly expanding FDJ’s international footprint and online revenue mix to create a larger European gaming champion.

ESE Entertainment Inc. has acquired Bombee Americas, the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, in a share purchase agreement that transferred all outstanding shares of Bombee Americas to ESE. The deal includes cash payments and issued consideration shares, retains the Bombee Americas management team under service agreements, and is intended to strengthen ESE's production capabilities and North American presence in gaming and entertainment.

Carpenter Media Group, a Mississippi-based owner of local media outlets, agreed to acquire EO Media Group, taking ownership of more than two dozen newspapers, magazines and newsletters. The purchase expands Carpenter’s growing portfolio of community news titles and follows its earlier acquisition of Pamplin Media Group.

TPG announced the formation of its talent-centric entertainment platform, Initial Group, and said that Hollywood literary management firm Grandview has been acquired and will be combined under Untitled Entertainment, the platform's first investment. The transaction brings Grandview's leadership and team into Untitled and expands Initial Group's scale and literary representation capabilities.

Apex CoVantage, an AI-assisted content and data transformation company, has acquired Progressive Publishing Services, a Pennsylvania-based medical and healthcare publishing services firm. The acquisition expands Apex's capabilities and presence in nursing and healthcare publishing, enabling Progressive's customers to leverage Apex's technology platforms and accessibility services.

Semrush has acquired Third Door Media, the publisher behind Search Engine Land, SMX, MarTech and Digital Marketing Depot. The acquisition brings Third Door Media’s content, conferences and educational offerings into Semrush’s marketing SaaS ecosystem to expand resources, training and reach for digital marketers.

Los Angeles-based investment firm The Forest Road Company has acquired 100% of the ERT Formula E team, which will be rebranded as Kiro Race Co and operate under an American license while retaining Silverstone operations. Capital for the acquisition was provided by David Kaplan and Bennett Rosenthal (co-founders of Ares Management); the team also announced a technical partnership with Porsche Motorsport to strengthen performance.

RedBird IMI, a joint venture between RedBird Capital Partners and International Media Investments, has taken a majority stake in Front Office Sports, buying out early investor SC Holdings. The investment expands RedBird IMI's partnership with FOS after an initial minority investment in November 2023 and is intended to accelerate the company's growth across content, events and distribution.

Christian Pure, a faith-based digital content operator, has acquired the website newsongfellowship.net to expand its online ministry and community offerings. The acquisition will be integrated into Christian Pure's platform to enhance content, live streaming, podcasts, devotionals and community engagement for faith-based audiences.

EveryMatrix Software Limited completed its recommended public cash offer for Fantasma Games AB (publ) at SEK 59 per share, resulting in ownership of 95.19% of Fantasma's shares after tenders, purchases outside the offer and a sale commitment. EveryMatrix intends to commence compulsory buy-out procedures for remaining shares and pursue delisting of Fantasma from Nasdaq First North Growth Market.

JW Player and Connatix have merged to form JWP Connatix, a combined video technology and monetization platform headquartered in New York City. The transaction unifies JW Player's streaming, data, and workflow capabilities with Connatix's full-stack advertising and content technology to create a scaled end-to-end solution for broadcasters, publishers, and advertisers.

Victory Live has acquired Logitix from private equity owner ZMC. Logitix provides ticket inventory management, dynamic pricing and distribution technology for sports, live entertainment and resellers, and Victory Live intends to integrate Logitix to expand its ticketing platform, capabilities and global footprint.

Podimo has acquired Podads, one of Denmark's leading podcast agencies and advertising platforms. Podads will continue to operate independently under CEO and co-founder Anne-Kathrine Pommergaard as Podimo strengthens its hybrid subscription-and-advertising model to expand creator revenue opportunities and boost podcast advertising in Denmark.

Ziff Davis, Inc. announced it completed an acquisition of equity in CNET in Q3 2024. Terms were not disclosed; Ziff Davis said the deal grows its global customer base, provides access to new markets and expands its product lineup, with no material financial impact expected.

TPG (through its TPG Capital private equity platform) has acquired AT&T’s remaining 70% stake in DIRECTV, making DIRECTV a wholly owned portfolio company of TPG Capital. The transaction provides DIRECTV with a stronger financial platform to accelerate investments in its next-generation streaming and video services; AT&T is expected to receive approximately $7.6 billion in cash payments through 2029 under the deal terms.

Chimney Rock Equity Partners has made a strategic growth investment in 3G Productions LLC to support the Las Vegas-based live event production and systems-integration firm’s expansion into a national platform. Management and existing owners are reinvesting and will remain in place as Chimney Rock provides capital and resources to pursue organic growth and acquisitions.

Dexter Paine has completed his acquisition of the ECHL’s Maine Mariners from Comcast Spectacor, with the transaction approved by the ECHL Board of Governors. Paine will serve as the team’s Governor while Adam Goldberg is promoted to CEO; the new ownership emphasizes local ties and plans to support the team and fan engagement for the 2024–25 season.

Mixcloud has acquired Encore, an online music marketplace founded in 2014 that has facilitated over 50,000 bookings and helped musicians earn roughly £25 million. Encore will continue to operate as an independent brand, with Mixcloud co-founder Nikhil Shah joining Encore as Chairman; financial terms were not disclosed.