Investments · Music publishing

Sony buys the Michael Jackson estate's 50% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Investor: Sony (via Sony Corporation of America) (Tokyo)
In: Sony/ATV Music Publishing (50% held by the Michael Jackson estate), New York, New York
Value: $750M total, including a lump sum of about $733M (about ¥84B)
Status: Agreed on March 14, 2016; completed on September 30, 2016.
Date: 2016-03-14

Sony agreed to buy the 50% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing held by the estate of Michael Jackson, making the New York-based publisher wholly owned. The total of $750 million includes a lump sum of about $733 million and distributions already committed to the estate. Sony had exercised a buy-sell right in September 2015.

Why it matters

Full ownership puts a large music publishing catalog entirely under Sony's control.

Sources

Sony (press release filed with the SEC)
Nihon M&A Center (summary of TDnet filing, Japanese)

Kakehashi M&A News home