Media & Entertainment Acquisitions in Utah

Angel Studios, a Provo-based media and technology company, completed its business combination with special purpose acquisition company Southport Acquisition Corporation and will trade on the NYSE under the ticker ANGX. The transaction provided Angel with access to public markets and capital to accelerate growth, and the company secured a $100 million credit facility to support expansion of its Angel Guild and content distribution initiatives.

AEG Presents, part of Anschutz Entertainment Group, has acquired The Complex, a large music and event venue in Salt Lake City. The Complex's existing staff will be retained as AEG integrates the venue into its nationwide portfolio to expand live-music programming and event capabilities in Utah.

Pogo Pass and GetOutPass announced a strategic merger to combine their family-entertainment membership platforms into a single, larger company (branded in the release as GetOutPass/Pogo Pass). The combined business spans 33 markets and ~2,300 venues with over 300,000 active passes and aims to drive more foot traffic to venue partners, enter new markets, and enhance subscription value; financial terms were not disclosed.

Greybull Stewardship, a private investment firm based in Jackson, Wyoming, has acquired Pogo Pass, a national provider of family entertainment membership passes. Financial terms were not disclosed; Greybull said it will support Pogo Pass’s expansion into new markets including Houston, Texas and the Emerald Coast, Florida while working with the company’s founders to scale the business.

Genius Group Limited acquired Revealed Films Inc., a Utah-based documentary and film production company, in a transaction valued at $10 million plus earnouts. The deal (closed October 4, 2022) will allow Genius Group to expand its content production capabilities and integrate high-quality entrepreneurial and instructional video content into its lifelong learning curriculum.

General Atlantic has made a significant growth equity investment in Chess.com, one of the world’s largest online chess platforms; terms were not disclosed. The capital will support Chess.com’s international expansion, product development, and community growth — the company reports roughly 75 million registered users and about 300 full-time team members.

CURE Media Group, a brand of MJH Life Sciences, has acquired Cancer Horizons, a self-funded online resource for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. The acquisition will integrate Cancer Horizons' community-focused content with CURE's editorial platforms to expand reach and deliver more cancer news, resources and patient-focused education.

Charles Thayne Capital, a growth-oriented private investment firm, has acquired World Archives, the operator of NewspaperArchive.com. The firm is partnering with former Ancestry.com executives Kendall Hulet (CEO) and Brandon Camp (CMO) to accelerate product and subscriber growth for the historical newspaper and genealogy platform.

Blackstone's private equity funds have entered a definitive agreement to acquire Ancestry from Silver Lake, GIC, Spectrum Equity, Permira and other equity holders for an enterprise value of $4.7 billion; GIC will retain a significant minority stake. Blackstone said it will partner with Ancestry's management to invest in data, product development and global expansion of the company's family history and consumer genomics platform, which has more than 3 million paying subscribers and roughly $1 billion in annual revenue.