Financial Times: Amazon closes $8.45bn deal to acquire film studio MGM

March 17, 2022 Media

Amazon has closed its deal to acquire film studio MGM after US and European competition regulators declined to block the move, despite growing concern over the ecommerce giant’s size.

The $8.45bn acquisition, which includes debt, is Amazon’s largest ever in the media space and its biggest of any kind since the $13.7bn purchase of Whole Foods in 2017.

It brings into Amazon a host of entertainment content, including the rights to the James Bond franchise, allowing it to gain ground on the huge libraries of Netflix, HBO and other streaming players.

The closing of the MGM deal will not alleviate scrutiny over Amazon’s business practices. This month, the House judiciary committee accused the company of obstructing its investigation into anti-competitive behaviour, referring the matter to the Department of Justice for a possible criminal investigation.

“While Amazon has reportedly closed on their acquisition of MGM Studios, antitrust officials can still hold Amazon accountable for the wide range of anti-competitive tactics they’ve used to hurt workers, small businesses, and consumers,” said Krista Brown, senior policy analyst at the American Economic Liberties Project.