Amazon is in talks to buy MGM for $9 billion

[Killerbee911]

Amazon is in talks to buy MGM for $9 billion

James Bond, The Handmaid’s Tale, Rocky, Stargate, Robocop, Legally Blonde, Vikings, a historic catalog of films dating back many decades, an array of production and distribution companies, and the content network Epix — these are the things that Amazon might own if it buys storied film giant MGM for billions of dollars in the very near future.

Its 4,000 film titles include the James Bond, Hobbit, Rocky/Creed, RoboCop and Pink Panther franchises, as well as movies like “The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Magnificent Seven” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” The MGM TV library includes approximately 17,000 episodes of programming, including “Stargate SG-1,” “Stargate Atlantis,” “Stargate Universe,” “Vikings,” “Fargo,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Get Shorty,” “Condor,” “Fame,” “American Gladiators,” “Teen Wolf” and “In the Heat of the Night.”

Honestly this is a bad deal imo there is nothing there that is going to recoup that money any time soon but in a world where everyone is talking back their content for streaming having your own exclusive a library of things can't hurt. James Bond and Stargate look to be the crown jewels of the deal.

[Vakanai]

Amazon is in talks to buy MGM for $9 billion





Honestly this is a bad deal imo there is nothing there that is going to recoup that money any time soon but in a world where everyone is talking back their content for streaming having your own exclusive a library of things can't hurt. James Bond and Stargate look to be the crown jewels of the deal.

I don't know, I think you could do something with the Hobbiy, RoboCop, and Rocky franchises...

[Killerbee911]

So let me be more clear I think a lot of the stuff can be productive for Amazon, I think a Silence of the Lambs TV show could work, I think you make a good couple of Robocop movies, I think you can remake/reboot Rocky as MMA fighter for today generation, etc I think they can do stuff with the properties what I am saying that none of that stuff is going to sniff close to making back that 9 billion for long long time. For perspective Disney bought Pixar for 7.4 Billion, Marvel for 4 Billion, Lucasarts for 4 billion. Pixar was worth the money to Disney just for assets towards making other movies, the Pixar library movies was secondary. Lucas and Marvel you could go a couple successful movies and merchandising you can see how that money is being made back.

Other than James Bond which while productive hasn't been amazingly dominant in at box office there is nothing in MGM that is sure fire success and there is nothing in back catalog like a Friends or Office that will draw in people. Amazon got money to burn so they can do stuff like this but 9 billion is way too much.

[AnakinFlair]

Maybe they think it's worth it to acquire rights to other things. MGM held the movie rights for The Hobbit- that's why those movies were co-produced between WB and MGM. And I think MGM holds the film rights to Silence of the Lambs, which was why certain characters couldn't be used in Hannibal. While I agree 9 Billion is too much, maybe they think it's worth it to get all of those individual film rights issues all under their roof. At the very least, it could open up more creative avenues with their Lord of the Rings show.

[Kirby101]

Amazon Prime, where they still charge you to watch 50 year old movies. Screw you Bezos.

[Killerbee911]

Maybe they think it's worth it to acquire rights to other things. MGM held the movie rights for The Hobbit- that's why those movies were co-produced between WB and MGM. And I think MGM holds the film rights to Silence of the Lambs, which was why certain characters couldn't be used in Hannibal. While I agree 9 Billion is too much, maybe they think it's worth it to get all of those individual film rights issues all under their roof. At the very least, it could open up more creative avenues with their Lord of the Rings show.

I am not disagreeing with that part, MGM holds value especially for people like Apple, Netflix, and Amazon who don't have a deep back catalog. These companies need content for sure but 9 Billion is too much for something that is not going to generate its worth but hey Maybe they come up with an idea for Stargate and it becomes the next big sci-fi franchise with Starwars and Startrek I mean it has star in its name too. Maybe they expand MI6 and James Bond. Maybe the other double OO agents can generate a franchise. I don't see where they make back that money but Amazon has deep enough pockets where they can absorb a hit like that. I mean Lotr show cost 465 million to make and 250 million to acquire the rights from Tolkien estate so they are use to burning money.

[Surf]

Amazon is in talks to buy MGM for $9 billion





Honestly this is a bad deal imo there is nothing there that is going to recoup that money any time soon but in a world where everyone is talking back their content for streaming having your own exclusive a library of things can't hurt. James Bond and Stargate look to be the crown jewels of the deal.

What, no love for an antiquated celebration like Seven brothers for seven brides. It's wild that at one time for a long time MGM produced the biggest spectacles in movies for years. Technicolor marvels of production, fast forward several decades now this deal hinges on what could be done with... Robocop? Isn't the price tag on this like double what I feel it should be, at least that's what my sofa entertainment lawyer degree tells me. Bond is the breadwinner here and unless the Rocky franchise moves into MMA this is little more than a horde of property. Then too, what else is Bezos gonna spend money on, he'll scratch this check out and not have to even be seen doing it.

Amazon Prime, where they still charge you to watch 50 year old movies. Screw you Bezos.

This.

HBO Max has the Turner stuff but it's only a fraction of what I feel is available to put out. Especially since TCM is showing movies from the 90s at this point.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

A lot of the MGM properties stream for free over Tubi. Expect them to be yanked off as Bezos will take those and place em on Amazon Prime where he can charge absurd prices for streaming James Bond and other properties.

[useridgoeshere]

Amazon is different because their primary competitors are retailers and delivery services, not streaming services. People still sign-up Prime for the shopping benefits. Video is like a bonus and it's one that Walmart+, Instacart, Uber, etc. don't have.

For $9 billion, they get more existing content than they can produce for the same amount. It sounds like a ton of money but (a) Amazon has it; (b) content inflation is high - Netflix is spending double that on content this year; (c) it gives them thousands of movies/shows to make the service feel more robust; and (d) they get some new IP.

[Frobisher]

We can't be that far off a corporation just flat-out buying an entire country as a "fulfilment centre" by now, can we? Which would obviously be the most cyberpunk thing ever.

[Robotman]

We can't be that far off a corporation just flat-out buying an entire country as a "fulfilment centre" by now, can we? Which would obviously be the most cyberpunk thing ever.

Where’s Teddy Roosevelt when you need him?

[Kirby101]

Welcome to the Oligarchy.

[Immortal Weapon]

Amazon has abyss full of money. Jeff Bezos has a higher net worth than MGM. They can overspend and not have it hurt. They not gonna bee in the position AT&T was when they brought WB

[Panic]

I am not disagreeing with that part, MGM holds value especially for people like Apple, Netflix, and Amazon who don't have a deep back catalog. These companies need content for sure but 9 Billion is too much for something that is not going to generate its worth but hey Maybe they come up with an idea for Stargate and it becomes the next big sci-fi franchise with Starwars and Startrek I mean it has star in its name too. Maybe they expand MI6 and James Bond. Maybe the other double OO agents can generate a franchise. I don't see where they make back that money but Amazon has deep enough pockets where they can absorb a hit like that. I mean Lotr show cost 465 million to make and 250 million to acquire the rights from Tolkien estate so they are use to burning money.

MGM don't hold the rights to Bond, just the distribution rights. Although they could ask Eon (who actually own the rights and make the films) to expand the franchise, I don't think they could dictate to them the direction they want the property to take.

[Nate Grey]

Amazon is different because their primary competitors are retailers and delivery services, not streaming services. People still sign-up Prime for the shopping benefits. Video is like a bonus and it's one that Walmart+, Instacart, Uber, etc. don't have.

I feel like we should have had WalmartTV by now. I wonder if that's around the corner, too...