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As new movies, TV dramas and live sports splash across streaming services, investors are eyeing opportunities to help consumers with a persistent problem: discovery.

Why it matters: The streaming wars have pushed companies to invest more in their services and cut licensing deals to grow revenues.

Driving the news: Clix, an online guide for which films and TV shows to watch, is raising a $25 million funding round and just hired two executives, CMO Stacy Jolna tells Kerry.

The news comes just days after Letterboxd, a social film discovery platform, announced it sold a 60% stake to Canadian technology holding company Tiny, valuing the business at $50 million.

Last year, Fandom acquired TV Guide and six other entertainment brands in a $50 million deal with Red Ventures. Other competitors include Rotten Tomatoes, bought by Fandango in 2016, and IMDB, owned by Amazon since 1998.

Digital media brands like Entertainment Weekly, Axios and many others also publish articles with suggestions on what to watch.

Catch up quick: Clix launched an app in 2021 across more than 80 platforms. But the company is now focused on mobile.

Jolna says Clix has 37 million users, or people who have registered for accounts.

How it works: New users sign up, fill out their profile and select which streaming services they use. The top of the page displays a rotating carousel of shows and what services they are on.

Users watch a trailer and select if they're interested in the movie or show, which helps personalize future recommendations. Part of the experience is gamified, giving users points for taking actions and making them eligible for giveaways.

The majority of revenue will come from advertising, Jolna says.

Details: Clix raised $10.5 million in prior rounds. 

Jim Anderson, former chief architect at Spotify and a co-founder of About.com, recently joined as chief innovation officer. Hassan Wharton-Ali, former senior product architect at Hulu, was hired as chief product officer.

The bottom line: "We don't see ourselves as combatants in the streaming wars," Jolna says. "We are allies."

Clix seeks to raise $25M to reimagine TV Guide

1 big thing: Reimagining TV Guide

Illustration of a hand reaching out for help from a pile of play buttons. 

Dolphin Entertainment, Inc., the publicly traded entertainment marketing and production company, has acquired talent booking and events agency Special Projects.

Why it's the BFD: The deal underscores how events have resurged as marketing vehicles and moneymaking opportunities in the post-pandemic economy.

Details: Founded in 2016, Special Projects helps with talent booking and event production for clients like A24, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, AppleTV+, the Apollo Theater, Bustle Digital Group, Meta, the Peabody Awards and The Wall Street Journal.

Under Dolphin, Special Projects will retain its name and operate autonomously. Nicole Vecchiarelli and Andrea Oliveri will remain as co-CEOs. It has 10 full-time staffers, per Variety, and is based in New York and Los Angeles.

K&L Gates LLP served as legal counsel to Dolphin. DLA Piper served as legal counsel to Special Projects.

Of note: Dolphin has assembled a portfolio of agencies in recent years. It acquired 42West in 2017, Viewpoint Creative and The Door in 2018, Shore Fire Media in 2019 and Be Social in 2020.

2. The BFD: Dolphin dives for new agency

Illustration of a glimmering Hollywood star caught on a fishing hook.

Looking for more deal insights? Search the Axios Pro Deals Tracker beta.

• Lex, an LGBTQIA+ social app, raised $5.6m in seed funding. Stellation Capital led and was joined by Slauson & Co, Hope Lab Ventures, Best Nights VC, Great Oaks, Graph Ventures, Female Founders Fund, Alpaca Ventures, Red Swan and Gaingels. https://axios.link/45jl3SK

• Humata AI, an Austin, Texas-based platform for simplifying research publications, raised $3.5m in seed funding from Gradient Ventures, ARK Invest and M13. www.humata.ai

• Sister, Jane Featherstone and Liz Murdoch's production studio, acquired a minority stake in Unanimous Media Holdings, Stephen Curry's production banner. https://axios.link/46fyoga

• Vista Equity Partners is seeking a buyer for Quickbase, a Boston-based no-code enterprise app development platform that could fetch more than $2.5b (including debt), per Bloomberg. https://axios.link/46aOUOw

• ⚽ British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considering a £1.5b bid for 25% of Manchester United, which would leave the Glazer family in control of the Premier League club. https://axios.link/3S0YMX9

• Visa (NYSE: V) announced a $100m corporate VC allocation aimed at generative AI startups. https://axios.link/46CRhcV

3. Deal flow

• Suhaila Hobba, formerly global head of digital for Amazon's in-house ad agency, joined OMD as chief media officer for the U.S. https://axios.link/3RDpZih

• Geraldine Pamphile was named EVP, international of LeBron James and Maverick Carter's The SpringHill Company. She was previously chief business officer at blockchain startup Lamina1. https://axios.link/46yLfdi

• Sofia Paz, formerly with Inhotim Institute of Contemporary Art, joined Fat City as director of development. https://axios.link/3th73Ma

• Kai Falkenberg, formerly EVP, general counsel and corporate secretary at G/O Media, joined Guardian U.S. as its first-ever general counsel. https://axios.link/3Q0Z5zy

• Michael Hudson, formerly senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, was named first-ever U.S. head of investigations of Guardian US. https://axios.link/3PzFPI2

• Stephanie Latham joined Roblox as VP of global partnerships. She previously led Meta's entertainment, tech, and telecom sales in North America. https://axios.link/45nBDRK

• Anna Priest was named SVP and head of Paramount+ for the U.K. market. Katrina Kowalski is SVP, international content programming and acquisitions for Pluto TV. https://axios.link/46cAgWV

• Ibram X. Kendi recently launched an ESPN+ series on sports and race. https://axios.link/46Budej

• Bill Block is out as CEO of Miramax. https://axios.link/3rscgQN

• Pierre Branco, general manager of Warner Bros. Discovery in France, is leaving. https://axios.link/46y0XFl

4. Movin' on up (or out)

🧑‍⚖️ Microsoft CEO decries "vicious cycle" of Google search dominance (Axios)

"Arguments are underway in the third week of the trial of the Justice Department's lawsuit against Google for alleged monopolistic behavior in maintaining its dominance of the internet search market," Ashley Gold reports.

🍿 Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour concert film coming to theaters (Axios)

"Queen Bey is extending her artistic empire into cinema, joining fellow music superstar Taylor Swift in the transition from the stage to the screen," Nathan Bomey writes.

🛍️ Paris Hilton inks content and commerce deal with Elon Musk's X/Twitter, will host videos featuring live shopping (Variety)

"Under the deal between X and Hilton and her 11:11 Media company, she and X will work together to create four original video content programs per year that include live-shopping features. Hilton will also serve as a launch partner for new X consumer products, services and feature releases," Todd Spangler writes.

5. Channel surfing

Illustration of a surfer with a television in the place of his head.

Tim is back stateside after a 10-day excursion through Northern Italy, where he and his wife ate their weight in pasta and pizza, rode a gondola, constantly hiked up 30 steps to their Airbnb in Lake Como and saw a bunch of German tourists belt out "Bohemian Rhapsody" — while experiencing the utter frustration that is Italian public transportation. (Pro tip: Italy Time and Actual Time are not the same thing.)

💭 Tim's thought bubble: There aren't many tourist attractions that actually live up to the hype (and the crowds), but this view from the Rialto Bridge in Venice was the exception. I felt like I walked into a painting.  

1 fun thing: 🇮🇹 Benvenuti a Venezia

View of the Grand Canal in Venice. Photo: Tim Baysinger/Axios

🍻 Situational awareness: Join Axios Pro Deals and Dan Primack for a happy hour event in New York on Wednesday, Oct. 11. Register here.

@tim_bays: "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" on Delta Inflight Movies. More proof that Shia LaBeouf's Mutt Williams was the worst thing to happen to this franchise. 

@kerrymflynn: Ally Love on Peloton. I'm doing #BossOctober this month, which for me means no alcohol and daily fitness classes. 

✏️ Thanks to Michael Flaherty for editing and Katie Lewis for copy editing this newsletter.

Thank you for reading Axios Pro Media Deals! Please ask your friends, colleagues and Paris Hilton to sign up.

October 03, 2023

1 big thing: Reimagining TV Guide