Amazon to Acquire MGM for $8.45 Billion Amid Competition With the Likes of Netflix and Apple TV+

Amazon today announced it has reached an agreement with MGM to acquire the entertainment company for $8.45 billion, following a report last year that claimed MGM had reached out to Apple to gauge interest in a potential acquisition.

mgm
The acquisition of MGM will likely bolster Amazon Prime Video's catalog of movies and TV shows amid increasing competition from the likes of Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+. Amazon said it will help preserve MGM's heritage and catalog of films, and provide customers with greater access to these existing works, such as the James Bond franchise.

Mike Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Prime Video and Amazon Studios:

MGM has a vast catalog with more than 4,000 films—12 Angry Men, Basic Instinct, Creed, James Bond, Legally Blonde, Moonstruck, Poltergeist, Raging Bull, Robocop, Rocky, Silence of the Lambs, Stargate, Thelma & Louise, Tomb Raider, The Magnificent Seven, The Pink Panther, The Thomas Crown Affair, and many other icons—as well as 17,000 TV shows—including Fargo, The Handmaid's Tale, and Vikings—that have collectively won more than 180 Academy Awards and 100 Emmys. The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM's talented team. It's very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Apple continues to expand its slate of TV+ programming, including "The Me You Can't See," a mental health docuseries from Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry that debuted May 21. A follow up to that series is coming May 28.

Top Rated Comments

Orange Bat Avatar
33 months ago
I’m not sure I’d call Apple TV+ real competition for the others at this point. Apple should have made this purchase, or try and make one like it (Sony still might be willing to sell — but at a premium. WarnerMedia looks to be back on the market and its been reported that the point of the Discovery merger is to make WarnerMedia attractive for a sale). Apple is not a true major player in streaming and has nothing on services like Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or even HBO Max.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
33 months ago

‘Least we got Oprah
Apple TV+ certainly does not deserve to even be in the same sentence as Netflix and Disney. Sort of like comparing my 10 year old nephew Timmy who plays hockey for his neighbourhood team and Wayne Gretzky. Although Wayne is long retired he is still offers much more than my nephew.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sebosz Avatar
33 months ago
I don’t think Amazon needs MGM to compete with Apple TV+, lol ?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sblemmy Avatar
33 months ago
I find Apple's TV strategy quite baffling. I know they're doubling down on original content, but, frankly, companies need a back catalog AND new content to be competitive in the streaming space. They're already years behind Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
groundedUX Avatar
33 months ago
Unless I’m missing something, this kinda feels like a steal? The Bond franchise alone has brought in over $10B or so I think. Imagine branching out and further developing some of the better known franchises in this catalog (like Star Wars has done) AND having a full catalog to supplement Prime Video immediately.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
widestload Avatar
33 months ago
Would have been a worthy addition to Apple TV+. Oh well :confused:
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple card 1

Apple Ending Apple Card Partnership With Goldman Sachs

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:09 pm PST by
Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card. Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the Apple Card and the Apple Savings account....
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.2 Beta 4

Tuesday November 28, 2023 12:18 pm PST by
Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality. We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2. Default Notification Sound Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to ...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
Apple 5G Modem Feature Triad

Apple to Discontinue Custom 5G Modem Development, Claim Reports

Wednesday November 29, 2023 4:19 am PST by
Apple is discontinuing in-house modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own custom 5G modem chip, according to unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia. According to the operator of news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, supply chain sources related to Apple's 5G modem departments claim that the company's attempts to develop its own modem have...
All New CarPlay Five New Features Article 2

What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

Tuesday November 28, 2023 7:44 am PST by
At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more. Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared...
Apple Logo

Apple Discontinued These 5 Products This Year

Monday November 27, 2023 7:03 am PST by
As the end of 2023 nears, now is a good opportunity to look back at some of the devices and accessories that Apple discontinued throughout the year. Apple products discontinued in 2023 include the iPhone 13 mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MagSafe Battery Pack, MagSafe Duo Charger, and leather accessories. Also check out our lists of Apple products discontinued in 2022 and 2021. iPhone Mini ...
iOS 17

iOS 17.1.2 Update for iPhone Likely to Be Released This Week

Monday November 27, 2023 8:24 am PST by
Apple will likely release iOS 17.1.2 this week, based on mounting evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs in recent days. As a minor update, iOS 17.1.2 should be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues might be addressed. Some users have continued to experience Wi-Fi issues on iOS 17.1.1, so perhaps iOS 17.1.2 will include the same fix for Wi-Fi...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...