The Raine Group

Raine in India, doing our bit to transform entertainment…. ? November has been a landmark month for Raine India, with the completion of two transformative transactions that are expected to help reshape the media and entertainment landscape in India: The ~$8.5 billion merger between Star India and Viacom18 has officially closed, creating one of the largest media and entertainment powerhouses in India. This partnership between Disney and Reliance, along with a ~$1.4 billion additional growth investment by Reliance, is expected to help lead to the transformation of India’s digital streaming ecosystem and grow the linear TV space across entertainment and sports, setting the stage for a new era in content distribution. Raine was the lead financial adviser to Disney. In another milestone, the Karan Johar led Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment closed their deal with Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions for a strategic investment of?INR 1,000 crores (~$120 million). This 50:50 partnership is expected to leverage Dharma’s storytelling expertise with Adar’s business acumen to expand into large-scale, multi-lingual productions, build franchises, enhance traditional entertainment formats and focus on creating Indian content for global audiences across various platforms. Raine was sole financial advisor to Dharma and Dharmatic. At Raine, we’re proud to have played our role as a trusted advisor in both these partnerships, which are poised to help redefine how media is distributed and how world-class content is created in India. The convergence of bold investments and visionary partnerships marks an inflection point for one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment markets. ? The future of Indian media and entertainment is very bright, and we’re thrilled to be part of this journey!

An Evening to Remember: Celebrating Women, Ideas, and Connections. Last week, Raine hosted its annual Women’s Dinner at Rosemary's in the West Village. From the moment we gathered, it was clear this would be an evening filled with inspiration, collaboration, and meaningful connections. A special highlight was the fireside chat with Nathan Hubbard, Co-Founder & CEO of Firebird Music, a Raine portfolio company, and Janelle Lopez Genzink, Founder & CEO of Volara Management and manager to Sabrina Carpenter. Janelle’s perspective on the growing influence of women in leadership roles in the music business was particularly inspiring—her journey is a testament to the transformative power of representation. Together, Nathan and Janelle sparked a lively discussion on what the future of the industry holds and how leaders can continue to drive positive change. Thank you to all who attended and contributed to the vibrant conversations and exchange of ideas. Events like these remind us of the power of bringing talented women together to share experiences and pave the way for future success. Here’s to continuing the conversation and pushing boundaries! Looking forward to the next time.

Raine Partner Fred Davis will be at #musictech at Slush 2024 in Helsinki on Wednesday Nov 20 delivering a keynote titled ”Tech Trends Transforming Entertainment.” Get ready to hear all about the tech trends that shape the industry! Full lineup and program here: https://buff.ly/3Z70b1p

We are excited to announce the closing of the ~$8.5Bn merger between Star India and Viacom18 creating one of the largest media and entertainment companies in India, with Reliance investing ~$1.4Bn into the JV as part of the transaction. ? We would like to thank our clients at Disney for giving us the opportunity to work with them on this landmark transaction. The transaction marks one of the largest media M&A deals in India’s history and one of the largest M&A transactions in the country this year. ? Congratulations to everyone involved. ? Read more here – https://lnkd.in/eJ_TYXmm

Raine is proud to announce that we served as financial advisor to Endeavor, who has announced an agreement to sell OpenBet and IMG ARENA to OB Global Holdings LLC in a management buyout backed by Ari Emanuel, with involvement from OpenBet’s leadership team, including CEO Jordan Levin. This new chapter is expected to enable OpenBet to accelerate market expansion and drive product innovation, building on its strong momentum, premium offerings, and talented team. Exciting times ahead for OpenBet and IMG ARENA as they embark on this journey!

Thank you again to Sports Business Journal for this honor, and congratulations to my fellow honorees. Looking forward to continuing to learn from both my team here at Raine and this new community of dedicated and inspiring sports professionals. #SBJNVU30 https://lnkd.in/ee4eFyru

This Veterans Day, we pause to honor the extraordinary individuals among us who have bravely served our country. Their strength, courage and determination is truly inspiring. To all our veterans – thank you for your invaluable contributions, today and always.

Applications to our 2025 Growing Diverse Leaders Program are now open! Aimed to introduce highly motivated undergraduate students to our trailblazing merchant bank focused on TMT Investment Banking and Growth Private Equity Investing, this program is open to current sophomores of all majors and educational backgrounds who identify as female, Black, African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, First Generation, and/or US veteran with 3+ years of active or reserve service. Applications close on December 1 at 11:59PM ET. Learn more about our one-day educational program and apply here: https://lnkd.in/eSs37RpF

Raine is excited to announce that we have been included on Inc. Magazine’s 2024 Founder-Friendly Investors List. This year’s line lineup of Founder-Friendly Investors shows just how powerful the right combination of backer and entrepreneur can be. We are incredibly proud of what the team has achieved to make this possible. Through our actions, we've positioned our firm as one that entrepreneurs can trust to take their business to the next level. Congratulations to all our fellow honorees. We are delighted to be in your great company. See the full list here: https://lnkd.in/ebhzF2Xq

Congratulations to Managing Director Jessica Payne for being recognized for her achievements at the October 23rd dinner which honored American Banker's list of Most Powerful Women in Banking: Next 2024. Jessica’s passion for deep tech sectors including AI infrastructure, data centers, robotics, and automation is expanding the boundaries of Raine’s coverage universe and leading to new opportunities across our advisory and investing businesses. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eNf4NBax