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Film tech startup Koobrik believes AI can make it easier for Hollywood executives to find hidden gems buried under the never-ending pile of script submissions, its CEO Orlando Wood tells Tim.

Why it matters: Koobrik was one of the 13 companies in the inaugural cohort for Warner Bros. Discovery and Acme Innovation's "Collider On The Lot" accelerator program.

How it works: The company uses AI to plug scripts into a database that allows producers, studios and talent agents to more easily pull out key information.

Koobrik's "smart storage" technology lets users sort through intricate, actor-specific data, such as nationality and skills, needed for a role.

The big picture: The streaming-led content explosion over the last few years has piled higher stacks of scripts on the desks of agents and producers.

"Agents, producers and executives only really manage to get around to reading about 20% of the scripts that come across their desk," Wood says. "Most of their time is spent trying to triage those scripts to figure out what they are going to produce next."

What's next: Koobrik has been seed-funded so far, and Wood expects it to raise again "in probably about a year."

"At the moment, we have a good runway to develop and iterate."

1 big thing: Reading scripts with AI

Photo illustration of Orlando Wood surrounded by abstract shapes.

Photo illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios. Photo: Courtesy of Koobrik

Bridgepoint Group is in advanced talks to sell its stake in MotoGP rights-holder Dorna Sports at a €4 billion valuation, Sky News reports. 

Why it's the BFD: The sale could bring more global attention to the sport, like seen with the growth of Formula One, Kerry writes.

The intrigue: Formula One owner Liberty Media is the bid's frontrunner, according to Sky News.

By the numbers: Bridgepoint owns about 40% of Dorna, per Sky News. 

The London-based private equity firm bought a 71% stake in Dorna from CVC in 2006. It sold a 39% stake to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in 2012.

Bridgepoint and Liberty Media did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

MotoGP parent Dorna Sports reportedly nears sale

2. The BFD: Revving up Dorna Sports sale

Luca Marini of Italy and Repsol Honda Team rounds the bend during the Qatar MotoGP Official Test at Losail Circuit on February 20, 2024 in Doha, Qatar. 

Luca Marini during the Qatar MotoGP Official Test at Losail Circuit on Feb. 20 in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images

Go deeper in our full database in the Axios Pro Deals Tracker.

• Topsort, an SF-based retail media ad tech startup, raised $20m in Series A funding at a $150m valuation led by Upload Ventures, with Quiet Capital and Pear Ventures also participating. https://axios.link/49WZlqn

• Particle, a newsreader startup, raised $4.4m in seed funding from Kindred Ventures, Adverb Ventures, Ev Williams and Scott Belsky. https://axios.link/3IjuDvZ

• UTA acquired JUV Consulting, a Gen Z- and youth-focused company. Its more than a dozen employees will join the Entertainment Marketing division in a new practice called Next Gen. https://axios.link/3SXCN1T 

• ITV (LSE: ITV) sold its 50% stake in streaming service BritBox International to its joint venture partner BBC Studios for £255m. https://axios.link/4323NlK

• Embracer Group, a Swedish gaming firm, plans to sell its Saber Interactive for as much as $500m to undisclosed investors, per Bloomberg. https://axios.link/3Ihwp0r

3. Deal flow

• Sarah van Mosel rejoined SiriusXM in a new role as SVP of podcast strategy. She was most recently EVP of iHeartMedia's iHeart Audience Network audio advertising group and previously served as CRO of Stitcher. Adam Sachs was named SVP of podcast content. https://axios.link/3P146Hw

• Roblox named ex-Disney John Love as VP of business development; ex-Meta Lisa Willet as head of travel, auto and financial partnerships; and ex-Twitch Allison McDuffee as global head of brand insights and measurement. https://axios.link/3V7fmWu

• Sonia Jain was elected to the board of AMC Theatres. She currently serves as CFO of Cars.com and was previously CFO of Redbox. https://axios.link/48wpMlK

• Brendan Gahan, former Mekanism partner, launched Creator Authority, a LinkedIn influencer marketing agency. Mandi Hopper joined as COO, Avi Gandhi, James Creech and Phil Ranta as partners and Jim Louderback as an adviser and board member. https://axios.link/3P5vCns

• Electronic Arts is laying off 5% of its workforce, more than 650 jobs. https://axios.link/49XOLj9

4. Movin' on up (or out)

😤 Musk vs. moguls: Billionaire rivalries erupt in fight for AI's future (Axios)

"Musk — a headstrong billionaire prone to petty feuds — and his fellow tech titans will have an outsized impact on the fate of a technology that could pose existential risks to the human race," Zachary Basu and Erica Pandey write.

⚾ Diamond Sports files official re-org plan, will cut ties with Bally's (Sportico)

"Grooming a new naming-rights partner is just one of several tasks Diamond must see to as it looks to bounce back from a bankruptcy saga that began on March 14, 2023. Among the most pressing matters of business is to nail down long-term affiliate deals with its three biggest distributors," Anthony Crupi reports.

🥳 "Dune" sequel leads U.S. box office to best weekend of the year (WSJ)

"IMAX screens accounted for 22.7% of ticket sales for 'Dune: Part Two,' the company's largest percentage ever, and at $18.5 million in box-office gross, represented IMAX's largest March opening ever," Robbie Whelan writes.

5. Channel surfing

an illustration of a television that says "channel surfing" on the screen being held up by hands on a dark smoky background

🗣️ Quote of the day: "I don't think we need to think too far ahead about what the exit strategy is," Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone said onstage at the Upfront Summit last week about a future IPO.

@tim_bays: "The Regime" on HBO. Kate Winslet has apparently decided every two years she'll do a Sunday night HBO series where she has a different accent.

@kerrymflynn: "The Holdovers" on Peacock. Watched this with my parents on Saturday, and it was a crowd-pleaser. Way more riveting than I expected.

✏️ 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 Hollywood script readers to sign up.

March 04, 2024

1 big thing: Reading scripts with AI