PwC Report Sees Rise in Media Deal Activity

NEW YORK: Second-quarter deal volume in the entertainment, media and communications sector in the U.S. rose by 3 percent to 188 announced transactions, PwC reports.

Deal value was also up, hitting $41 billion, the highest it’s been in 12 months. The period included five mega-deals—those valued at more than $1 billion—including NBCUniversal’s DreamWorks Animation takeover and Lionsgate’s purchase of Starz.

PwC said it was another strong quarter for M&A activity in the film and content business, with 13 deals valued at $3.7 billion. “Deal volume in the quarter was driven by production-related services (over 50 percent of the deals in this quarter) with a heavy interest in companies with virtual reality production capabilities,” the report says.

Investments in production companies will continue to drive deal activity in the film and content business, PwC says. It also sees the potential for major movie studio consolidation. The PwC report also notes increasing inbound activity from China, such as Tang Media investing in IM Global. “The continued search for growth fueled by significant capital available for deployment suggests inbound M&A from China will likely continue for the foreseeable future.”

Bart Spiegel, partner, Entertainment, Media & Communications Deals at PwC, observed, “Seemingly, a majority of the transactions consummated these days are in the pursuit of quality content, complimentary distribution channels or technology. It is apparent that dealmakers are focused on these pockets of potential and are looking next door and around the globe to do it.”