Photo: Peter Dazeley (Getty Images)
Sony Pictures boss recently stated that in the near future, there will only be four or five big movie studios in Hollywood. He may be right, considering the fact that more and more studios are merging and/or being acquired, and Lionsgate might be one of them. When it comes to potential buyers for the famed movie studio, a couple of names come up. First up is the almighty Amazon whose founder is currently the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos. Then there’s telecommunications giant Verizon, as well as the recently rumored CBS-Viacom conglomerate. However, will one of these actually take over Lionsgate?
Does Lionsgate need to merge to survive? The answer is most likely yes. Although the studio is still quite strong and has an impressive portfolio, it does need a powerful network to reach its audience more directly. Amazon is certainly the one who can help with that. In the recent years, this company has worked to attract a lot of original content for Amazon Prime, like the Grand Tour for example (basically Top Gear but without BBC’s rules) and Lionsgate would be a fine addition.
The same can be said for Verizon. Back in 2015, Verizon acquired fleeting AOL and just two years later, they also purchased Yahoo. Both of them were joined in a single division named Oath. It’s obvious that this telecommunication conglomerate won’t stop growing anytime soon and Lionsgate might be the new direction they’ll take.
Finally, there are also talks that the rumored CBS and Viacom merger might actually be a three-way partnership. Although the talks between CBS and Viacom haven’t been officially confirmed numerous sources say that such a deal is certainly on its way. All three companies have something to offer to their partners. This is great for Lionsgate because CBS is a powerful network and a great way for the studio to connect directly with their audience. On the other hand, CBS gains a respectable partner with an admirable portfolio.
Besides all this, Lionsgate made themselves that more appealing when they recently acquired the Starz company for $4.4 billion.
Who will get Lionsgate? We have to wait and see.
