Monetizing Media (Oct 14): Feig helms new Saudi expansion in Hollywood with Arena SNK

Arena SNK Studios is launching as a new gaming, anime, and action-content studio formed by MiSK Group (controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), Saudi government fund MBC Group, and MiSK subsidiary SNK which is a Japanese game company with classic arcade IP going back to the 1980s. The CEO is producer Erik Feig, Founder/CEO of Picturestart and former Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president, and tranched investment commitments can reach $1B. (link)

Content Partners Capital (CPC), the private capital arm of Content Partners, invested $20M in LA-based TV & film producer and distributor Electric Entertainment. Electric will use the funds to scale its studio operations, expand franchises including Leverage, The Librarians, and The Ark, and launch new series. Electric also has an OTT app & FAST channel featuring its own content called ElectricNOW. (link)

Canal+, a French pay TV operator, concluded its $3B takeover of South Africa's pay TV giant MultiChoice. MultiChoice will be delisted from the South Africa's JSE. Canal+ will seek a secondary listing for itself on JSE, alongside its primary London listing. (link)

Apple is rebranding its "Apple TV+" streaming service as "Apple TV". (link)

Promise, an AI-centered entertainment studio backed by Google, A16Z, North Road, and Crossbeam, launched a subsidiary called The Generation Company to provide generative AI-based VFX for outside studios and production companies. The unit will be led by Nem Perez (founder of Storyblocker). (link)

CNN will launch CNN Creators, a Doha-based unit, and a 30-minute weekly show debuting Oct. 23 to develop creator-focused, news-adjacent content. Andrew Potter, former Executive Producer at Vice Media, will lead the team. The move is tied to a digital pivot that includes a standalone subscription launch this fall and a metered paywall test on CNN.com. (link)

Freely, the free, ad-supported streaming service in the UK (founded by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5), announced 10 new channels including ones from AMC Networks and Bloomberg News. It now has 70+ channels. (link)

Finnish Film Foundation, Finland’s public film financier, avoided a previously announced funding cut after the government canceled €7.8M ($8.7M) in reductions. (link)

Josh Vodnoy is joining V10 Entertainment as Head of Domestic Distribution, Business Development, and Licensing. V10's library includes Follow Me, Totally Funny Kids & Animals, Blue Collar Auction, and World’s Funniest Videos. Vodnoy was previously VP of Content Acquisition at NBCUniversal, working on Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Peacock rights. (link)

Nabil Kazi is joining Watermelon Pictures, a Chicago-based indie film company, as EVP of Marketing & Brand Development. He was previously SVP of Marketing and Brand at Illumination. (link)

Danielle Lux, Murray Boland, and Joe McLusky were appointed to new roles at CPL Productions, a UK unscripted producer owned by Seven.One Studios and known for Married at First Sight UK, Love Is Blind UK, Stranded on Honeymoon Island, and A League of Their Own. Lux became Executive Chair, Boland became CEO, and McLusky joined as General Manager reporting to Boland. (link)

Michael O’Leary, CEO & President of Cinema United (exhibition trade organization formerly named NATO), received a 5-year contract extension. (link)

Airoclip, a Bengaluru-based AI-driven puzzle games studio founded in 2024, raised a $2.8M Seed round from T-Accelerate Capital, Centre Court Capital, and Bitkraft Ventures. Airoclip's Tap Hexa and Hexa Dreams have surpassed 300K installs in the US and Europe. (link)

Take-Two Interactive Software is now using VaultN, a digital content distribution platform, to centralize its third-party channel management. (link)

Marc-Alexis Côté resigned as Assassin's Creed franchise lead at Ubisoft, following Ubisoft's formation of Vantage Studios as a new subsidiary (with minority co-ownership from Tencent) to house the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six franchises. (link)

Jon Hicks has been named Editorial Director of GamesIndustry.biz, a B2B games media brand within IGN Entertainment, and will oversee editorial, sub-brands, and event projects. He previously led Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun at Gamer Network, and ran Official Xbox Magazine at Future. The role follows IGN Entertainment’s integration of Gamer Network sites. (link)

All Flowers Group, a record label JV formed by Secretly Group and Ghostly in 2022 that absorbed Ghostly and acquired the hip-hop and R&B label drink sum wtr, is now acquiring the label Sacred Bones Records. Sacred Bones founder Caleb Braaten is joining All Flowers’ executive team. (link)

Spotify expanded Managed Accounts - which provide separate, music-only profiles for children under 13 - to Premium Family subscribers across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, and the Netherlands following a 2024 pilot and earlier launches across New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. Parents can restrict explicit content, videos, specific artists and songs, and age-gated features. (link)

Warner Music Group merged its Benelux and DACH (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) recorded music operations to form Warner Music Central Europe, and appointed Niels Walboomers as regional head, reporting to Simon Robson (President of EMEA, Recorded Music). The 6-country unit represents the 3rd largest recorded music market after the US and Japan. Regional co-presidents Doreen Schimk and Fabian Drebes departed. (link)

Rena Ayer joined Red Seat Ventures, the podcast & creator services firm (known for work with Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Nancy Grace, Dr. Phil, etc.) that was recently acquired by Fox Corp, as SVP of Content and Talent Partnerships, reporting to CEO Chris Balfe. She previously led podcast business development at SiriusXM. (link)

Prime Creative Media, a Melbourne-based B2B publisher with 50+ titles, acquired Momentum Media's wealth management titles and associated events. Assets include Money Management, Investor Daily, IFA, SMSF Adviser, Fintech Business, Adviser Innovation, and Super Review, plus awards, conferences, and events franchises. 16 staff across sales, events, and editorial will transfer. (link)

Meta's Instagram said it will align teen accounts with the Motion Picture Association’s PG-13 standard to clarify content limits for families. The policy expands restrictions to risky stunts, drug paraphernalia, and strong language, adds a limited content mode, and relies on AI detection. Rollout starts in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, with more markets by year-end. The move is not coordinated with the MPA. (link)

YouTube announced partnerships with British and German broadcasters and other global partners to expand its "YouTube Shows" functionality (that is launching locally in those markets) featuring full TV episodes and films as free, ad-supported content on YouTube.

SAG-AFTRA announced a "Verticals Agreement" covering serialized micro-dramas for mobile screens. The contract applies to productions with budgets under $300K and will be released later this month. The move follows recent WGA guidance that verticals work is covered by its MBA. (link)

Night, a creator-economy talent management firm and brand agency, is acquiring Experiential Supply Co., an experiential marketing firm. (link)

Jukebox, a music and entertainment focused PR and talent management firm in the UK, launched a VC arm called Jukebox Ventures and is seeking up to $15M for its first early stage fund, with a focus on digital media, creator economy, and live experiences. Alex Jukes (Jukebox founder) and Christian Lawrence (former Rabobank Senior Market Strategist) are the General Partners. (link)