A sign at the Amazon Fulfilment Centre, in Peterborough, east England, on Nov. 27, 2019.DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images
Amazon.com Inc. on Wednesday snapped up Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., the fabled U.S. movie studio behind the James Bond franchise, for US$8.45-billion, in what will be its second-biggest acquisition ever as the e-commerce giant moves deeper into several sectors.
The deal opens up a vast library of hit movies and TV shows for Amazon, including The Handmaid’s Tale, Vikings and Shark Tank, and further strengthens its Prime video streaming service.
The announcement by the e-commerce giant comes more than a week after AT&T Inc., the owner of HBO and Warner Bros studios, and Discovery Inc., home to lifestyle TV networks such as HGTV and TLC, said they would combine their content to form a standalone global entertainment and media business in a US$43-billion deal.
Here is a timeline of Amazon’s largest deals over the past 20 years:
2020: Agrees to buy California-based self-driving startup Zoox Inc. in a deal reported to be worth more than US$1-billion that gives it options to use autonomous technology in either ride-hailing or its delivery network.
2019: Agrees to acquire a 49-per-cent stake in a unit of India’s Future Group, which owns 7.3 per cent of Future Retail, giving the U.S.-based company a 3.58-per-cent stake in the retailer, which operates more than 1,500 stores in the country.
2018: Agrees to buy video doorbell maker Ring LLC, in a growing bet on delivering packages inside of shoppers’ homes and on home security.
2018: Agrees to acquire small online pharmacy PillPack Inc., a move to compete with drugstore chains, drug distributors and pharmacy benefit managers.
2017: Says it would buy Whole Foods Market Inc. for US$13.7-billion, in what has been its biggest ever deal so far.
2017: Clinches deal to buy Middle East online retailer Souq.com. Financial terms were not disclosed.
2017: An affiliate of the company agrees to buy a 1.79-billion-rupee ($29.8-million) stake in Indian retailer Shoppers Stop Ltd.
2014: Snaps up livestreaming gaming network Twitch Interactive Inc. for about US$970-million in cash.
2012: Agrees to buy robotic technology company Kiva Systems Inc. for US$775-million in cash.
2010: Buys the owner of online shopping sites Diapers.com and Soap.com, Quidsi Inc., for US$500-million.
2009: Pays about US$928-million to acquire online shoe retailer Zappos.com.
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