Media & Entertainment Acquisitions in California

RTS has acquired the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) from NODWIN Gaming, with RTS now operating Evo under the broader ownership and strategic direction of Qiddiya Investment Company. The deal preserves Evo’s leadership and identity while aligning the franchise with Qiddiya City’s Gaming & Esports District development and global expansion plans.

Hovercraft Ventures, a global experience and innovation venture platform, has acquired Visual Endeavors, a Santa Cruz–based design and creative solutions agency known for immersive live-entertainment and experiential work. Visual Endeavors will join Hovercraft's roster (which includes Raw Cereal, Hovercraft and OMM) and bring proprietary technical capabilities such as the PixelCannon rendering platform and a large BlackTrax tracking rental inventory to the platform.

Stationhead and Mellomanic have merged under the Stationhead name to create a unified fan-engagement and "first listen" platform for artists, labels, and fans. The combined company received new investments from Sterling Partners and Universal Music Group (which also signed a commercial agreement), with David Rappaport named CEO and leadership roles for Stationhead co-founder Ryan Star and Sterling's Steven Taslitz.

ByteDance has finalized a deal establishing TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, a majority American-owned entity that will secure U.S. user data, apps and the recommendation algorithm to avoid a nationwide ban. The joint venture is led by Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX (each with 15%), with other U.S. and global investors participating while ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake.

SuperAwesome has acquired Starglow Media, an independent kids and family audio content network that delivers over 120 million annual listens across 45+ shows. The deal expands SuperAwesome's cross-channel youth engagement offering by adding audio capabilities and positions Starglow to scale monetization and brand-safe advertising across kids and family audio.

Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.) has acquired a controlling majority interest in Lights Out Sports and expanded its governance role. Under the transaction, Dr. Zack Ellison has been appointed Chairman, President, and CEO as A.R.I. looks to scale Lights Out's combat-sports promotion, live events, and streaming media business (Lights Out XF and LightsOutSportsTV.com) and leverage a new multi-year media rights deal with ESPN/Disney+.

Savage Ventures has acquired Sporked.com, the food-focused digital media brand founded by Mythical, to expand its digital publishing and social video portfolio. Mythical will exit ownership of the brand while Sporked’s editor-in-chief and existing full-time team will continue under Savage ownership; terms were not disclosed.

Stingray Group Inc. has completed the acquisition of TuneIn Holdings, Inc. for up to US$175 million (US$150 million at closing plus up to US$25 million earnout). The deal strengthens Stingray's position in the global audio market by expanding its reach to TuneIn's listeners and distribution platforms; the acquisition was financed with a US$150 million term loan under Stingray's renewed credit facility.

Hovercraft Ventures (formerly Skyview Innovations) has rebranded and acquired Raw Cereal, a Los Angeles-based creative production studio led by Anders Rahm and Cort Lawrence. Raw Cereal will join Hovercraft’s portfolio to expand the platform’s live, immersive and production capabilities for music, entertainment and corporate clients; deal terms and the seller were not disclosed.

Billionaire investor Mark Walter has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, following unanimous approval from the NBA Board of Governors. Jeanie Buss will remain Governor and oversee day-to-day operations as Walter integrates the franchise into his TWG Global sports portfolio to expand its sports and entertainment platform.

Exceleration Music has acquired the catalog and catalog operations of Los Angeles-based indie label Dangerbird Records, covering roughly 120 albums and more than 30 artists; financial terms were not disclosed. Exceleration will handle promotion and distribution through Redeye Worldwide, and Dangerbird president Jenni Sperandeo will step down after a transition.

Paramount Skydance has acquired The Free Press, the digital media outlet founded by Bari Weiss, in a stock-and-cash deal reported to value the outlet at roughly $150 million. Bari Weiss will remain CEO and editor‑in‑chief of The Free Press and will also take on the role of editor‑in‑chief at CBS News, reporting directly to Paramount Skydance chair and CEO David Ellison.

People Inc. (the rebranded Dotdash Meredith) has acquired Feedfeed, a 12-year-old food publisher and creator network with more than 7 million social followers and roughly 1,000 influencer partners. Feedfeed will retain its branding, its roughly dozen employees will join People Inc., and it will roll up under People Inc.'s food and drink vertical; financial terms were not disclosed.

Zello, a private investment platform focused on entertainment infrastructure, has acquired Cinelease — a leading lighting, grip and studio management company — from Herc Rentals. The transaction will position Cinelease as a standalone, privately held company under Zello to deepen its market presence and expand production infrastructure and studio services across North America.

Launch Potato has acquired Only In Your State, a leading hyperlocal travel publisher that reaches over 4 million monthly readers. The acquisition brings an award-winning newsletter with 1.8 million subscribers, a 17.5 million social reach, the "States of Discovery" podcast, and an AI Trip Planner to Launch Potato's portfolio, expanding its audience and advertising capabilities.

GSE Worldwide has acquired InsideOut Sports & Entertainment, a Los Angeles–based event production company that owns and operates marquee sports and entertainment events including The Pickleball Slam, Pro Padel League and Major League Pickleball. The deal marks GSE's first entry into live event production and will create a new GSE Productions division led by Jon Venison, while leveraging recent strategic investment from BC Partners Credit and Gatemore Capital to support continued growth.

MNRK Music Group has acquired independent metal label Prosthetic Records and its catalog, folding the imprint into MNRK Heavy. The deal expands MNRK's hard rock and metal roster and prepares a slate of reissues, remasters and new releases under the MNRK Heavy strategy.

Everand, a Scribd, Inc. company, has acquired Fable, the social reading app known for community-driven book clubs and engagement features. The deal brings Fable's user-first community and product into Everand's digital library ecosystem to combine discovery, consumption and social features while Fable employees join Scribd and the founder transitions to an advisory role.

Concord Originals, the film and TV division of Concord, has acquired RKO (RKO Pictures) from longtime chairman Ted Hartley, securing derivative rights to more than 5,000 titles from the studio's historic film library. RKO will operate as an imprint under Concord Originals with joint leadership from Sophia Dilley and Mary Beth O'Connor as Co‑Presidents, and Ted Hartley remaining as Chairman Emeritus and lead producer on active projects.

Scopely agreed to acquire Niantic's games business for $3.5 billion, bringing titles including Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and companion apps Campfire and Wayfarer into Scopely's portfolio. The deal (closed May 29, 2025) transfers over 400 gamemakers to Scopely while Niantic will spin out its AR/mapping technology into a standalone company, Niantic Spatial.

SP Media Group, led by producer Steven Paul, has acquired Avenue Six Studios, a production facility in Van Nuys, California. The studio — which includes four sound stages and a New York-style backlot — will be used for film, television, branded content and post-production as SP Media Group expands U.S.-based production capacity.

Coral Tree Partners has made a minority growth investment in Innovative Artists Entertainment, the Santa Monica–headquartered talent agency founded in 1982. Monroe Capital acted as sole lead arranger and administrative agent on a senior credit facility to support the transaction; Innovative Artists has rebranded its existing businesses under the unified Innovative Artists Entertainment name and will continue operating from offices in Santa Monica and New York.

Venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has acquired Turpentine, the niche podcast network founded by Erik Torenberg, and named Torenberg a partner. The deal is intended to scale a16z's media and network capabilities around vertical expertise podcasts; financial terms were not disclosed.

Events.com has acquired the La Jolla Concours d'Elegance, a long-running automotive showcase held in La Jolla, California. The La Jolla Historical Society and the event's volunteer leadership will continue in guiding roles while Events.com provides enhanced ticketing, sponsorship, marketing, and operational support to scale the event.

PlayOn, the fan engagement platform for high school sports, acquired MaxPreps from CBS Sports (a division of Paramount Global) to integrate MaxPreps' scores, stats, and rankings with PlayOn's ticketing, streaming, and digital media products. Financial terms were not disclosed; MaxPreps employees will join PlayOn as the companies combine capabilities to enhance coverage, analytics, and fan engagement for high school athletics.

Qube Cinema has acquired MetaMedia, integrating MetaMedia’s cloud-based cinema content distribution platform and global operations into Qube’s product suite. The acquisition brings MetaMedia’s relationships with roughly 600 cinemas and its Azure-powered distribution platform under Qube’s control as the companies complete integration.

Avex (TYO: 7860) has acquired 100% of the S10 Music Publishing song catalog and increased its stake in S10 Management while consolidating its U.S. operations under the newly formed Avex Music Group (AMG). Brandon Silverstein, founder of S10, will become CEO and a partner of AMG as Avex expands its U.S. footprint and accelerates growth of its global music publishing and management capabilities.

Silver Lake, in partnership with the Endeavor management team and several co-investors (including Mubadala, DFO Management, Lexington Partners, Goldman Sachs Asset Management funds, and CPP Investments), completed a take-private acquisition of Endeavor Group Holdings for $27.50 per share. The transaction consolidates ownership, rebrands the portfolio of representation businesses as WME Group, and positions the company for long-term value creation across talent representation, IP, content and sports assets.

Concord (Concord Label Group) has acquired Stem, the artist-first distribution and label-services platform led by CEO Milana Lewis and President Kristin Graziani. Stem will operate as a separate division within Concord Label Group to accelerate product investment and global expansion, while Tone — Stem's royalty accounting business — is being spun off as a standalone company with Concord as an investor.

TransPerfect has acquired Blu Digital Group, a Burbank-based provider of digital media services and cloud-based content distribution software. Blu Digital Group will operate as a division of TransPerfect Media, combining Blu's SaaS products and automation technologies with TransPerfect's AI-driven localization and global language services to expand media localization and distribution capabilities.

The San Francisco Giants announced a strategic partnership in which global investment firm Sixth Street has made a significant minority equity investment—reported at approximately a 10% stake—into the franchise. The capital will support investments in the team and Oracle Park experience, while advisors to the deal included Raine Group and PJT Partners for the Giants and Sixth Street, respectively.

Wonder, the mealtime platform founded by Marc Lore, has acquired lifestyle and food-focused media company Tastemade. Financial terms were not disclosed by Wonder, though reports indicate the purchase price was about $90 million; Tastemade's founders will join Wonder in executive roles.

Cinelytic, an AI-driven content intelligence platform, has acquired Jumpcut Media to integrate Jumpcut's ScriptSense and SocialSense IP-management and audience-analysis tools into Cinelytic's product suite. The deal expands Cinelytic's capabilities for studios, agencies, and entertainment companies by enhancing script/IP management, audience alignment and real-time content insights.

Social media founders Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian have acquired Digg and will relaunch the platform with Justin Mezzell as CEO. The buyers are backing a product reboot that leverages AI to improve community moderation and rediscover human-centered social discovery; the relaunch is supported by True Ventures and Seven Seven Six.

Sports Business Journal (SBJ) has agreed to acquire the National Sports Forum, the long-running annual conference for team and league sports professionals founded by Ron Seaver. The deal expands SBJ’s events portfolio and SBJ will keep Ron Seaver on as Managing Director of the National Sports Forum, with the acquisition expected to close by the end of March.

Promise, a Los Angeles-based film and TV studio focused on Generative AI, has acquired Curious Refuge, an online AI film school that trains storytellers and creators. The acquisition will integrate Curious Refuge's educational community and talent pipeline into Promise's content efforts, supporting the studio's multi-year slate of Generative AI-driven films and series.

StackCommerce, a TPG-backed content-driven commerce platform, has acquired Reviewed, a product-review destination covering categories like Kitchen, Home, and Tech. The acquisition brings Reviewed's review-driven commerce into StackCommerce’s creator, publisher, and affiliate ecosystem to enhance product discovery and broaden audience monetization opportunities.

Entertainment 360, a Los Angeles–based talent management and production company, has received a strategic growth investment from global investment firm The Carlyle Group — the first outside funding in the company's 22-year history. The minority investment will support Entertainment 360's expansion while its existing board and leadership remain in place; The Raine Group and Venable LLP advised Entertainment 360, and Latham & Watkins advised Carlyle.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HYBE has acquired The Agency Group PR LCC, a Santa Monica-based public relations agency, taking a 51% stake and making it a subsidiary of Hybe America. The deal was executed to strengthen PR capabilities for HYBE's U.S. operations and expand the American unit's communications resources.

WTWH Media acquired the Autism Investor Summit event from Jade Health to expand its behavioral health media and events portfolio. The acquisition strengthens WTWH Media’s offerings in autism and behavioral health, broadening its audience reach and engagement within the healthcare community.

RiverSilica Technologies (Bangalore, India) has acquired Niagara Video Corporation (USA) to integrate Niagara's streaming and video-transport capabilities into RiverSilica's IP video processing and workflow product portfolio. The deal is intended to expand RiverSilica's global footprint and strengthen its end-to-end video workflow solutions for broadcasters, CDNs and other video distribution customers.

Global sports and entertainment firm Wasserman has acquired Long Haul Management, bringing Dan Levitt and his Long Haul team and clients into Wasserman's newly formed 'Wasserman Creators' division. The deal folds Long Haul’s creator-focused talent representation, particularly in gaming and sports, into Wasserman to expand its creator services and client roster.

Fabric and Xytech Systems have merged to create an integrated media resource and metadata management platform, led by Fabric CEO Rob Delf with Xytech CEO John O'Connor becoming COO. The transaction is supported by investor Banneker Partners and aims to combine Fabric's metadata and supply chain capabilities with Xytech's resource management tools to deliver greater automation, operational efficiency, and faster content distribution for media organizations.

Sony Music Masterworks, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, has acquired a majority stake in Los Angeles-based Black Sky Creative, an experiential production and design company that produces immersive entertainment, experiential retail and live experiences. Black Sky's founder Jeff Delson and partners will continue to run day-to-day operations and will collaborate with Masterworks to scale experiential properties across music, social media, children's entertainment, film/TV and gaming.