News

Polygon: Obsidian Entertainment, the developer behind Fallout: New Vegas, Alpha Protocol, Pillars of Eternity and other role-playing games, is joining Microsoft’s stable of studios.  Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Obsidian today at its X018 event in Mexico City.

SEC Sports: The Southeastern Conference announced today that it has appointed leading sports media advisory firm Evolution Media Capital (EMC) and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) as its exclusive media advisors. Under its long-term agreement, EMC and CAA's television division will work collaboratively to advise the SEC on the evolving media marketplace and assist the conference in its future broadcast rights negotiations.

Variety: Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment has launched a TV financing venture for genre series and international co-productions in partnership with Sony Pictures Television.  Skybound has created Skybound Galactic, headed by Rick Jacobs, producer and former literary manager at Circle of Confusion, the management-production agency that reps “Walking Dead” creator Kirkman.

Sports Business Journal: The quest to sell the UFC’s and WWE’s media rights featured the top media companies and entertainment agencies going head to head over marquee properties. Here’s how it all unfolded.

Deadline: FremantleMedia is moving out of the kids’ and family space after selling its children’s division to Canadian firm Boat Rocker. The move will see the Toronto-based firm acquire FremantleMedia’s Kids & Family Entertainment division, the unit behind series such as "Danger Mouse."

Sports Business Journal: Gold has been the key figure in driving a business that has negotiated $38 billion of sports media deals since 2010.

Hollywood Reporter: On Aug. 18, Top Rank reached a four-year deal with ESPN that is set to be announced at a news conference in Las Vegas on Saturday — the same day as the mega-bout between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. The pact, whose financial terms have not been disclosed, will mean that boxing will have a major presence on linear television for the first time in decades.

Sports Business Journal: The PGA of America has marked the calendar for when it will move its premier PGA Championship from August to May, a strategy it hopes will deliver a richer television contract and additional sponsors.  The PGA of America hired Evolution Media Capital to help assess the decision to move to May as it heads toward a new round of media deals.

Deadline: Brad Weston has launched Makeready, a funded production company backed by eOne and bolstered by a five-year agreement with Universal Pictures to handle worldwide distribution and marketing on two feature films per year. The first of those Weston expects will be ready for release in late 2018, with two to follow in 2019.

Hollywood Reporter: Vine Alternative Investments on Thursday announced that it has acquired Manchester Library Company, a holding company whose slate of 30 films includes such Relativity Media titles as the Oscar-winning "The Fighter," "Limitless," and "Dear John."  Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the 30 movies were said to have collectively grossed $1.5 billion in worldwide box office. The library includes the underlying remake and sequel rights to many of the titles.