Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction

CORE Media Group, Inc.

CORE Media Group logo
Company type	Private
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	February 7, 2005 (United States)
Headquarters	650 Madison Avenue New York City
Key people	Marc Graboff, Founder Peter Hurwitz, President Kim Williams, CFO
Products	entertainment content, intellectual property services, American Idol/Idol series
Owner	21st Century Fox (50%) Apollo Global Management (50%)
Number of employees	115
Subsidiaries	19 Entertainment and Sharp Entertainment
Website	www.coremediagroup.com

CORE Media Group, formerly CKX, Inc., is an American company founded on February 7, 2005 that owns and develops entertainment content and intellectual property.

Background

The "C" and "K" in "CKX" stood for "Content is King", representing the focus of the company's business strategy to acquire established content, and then to improve, enhance and develop the marketing of such content. The "X" takes the initial of founder Robert F.X. Sillerman. This is a trademark of many Sillerman companies, such as "SFX Entertainment" and "FXM Asset Management"

History

Before its founding in 2005, and during a period from 1986 to August 2002, the company operated a franchise of golf equipment, formerly known as Sports Entertainment Enterprises. In August 2002 the company sold all of its former assets. From September 2002 to February 2005, the company's main priority was to pursue a transaction with a business enterprise.

As a result, it began building a stake in the image rights of boxer Muhammad Ali. In 2005, it bought British company 19 Entertainment from Simon Fuller, who subsequently joined the company's board. With the purchase, the company acquired a majority share of the rights to the Idol series, including American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, as well as Pop Idol in Great Britain and numerous other international versions. Later that year it bought an entertainment agency, with artists on its roster such as Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Woody Allen. In 2005, the company bought 85% of the rights to the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley, and the operations of Graceland, from the trust of Lisa Marie Presley.

In 2007, Fuller and Sillerman launched a takeover bid for CKX, valuing it at $1.3bn or $13.75 per share, but their attempt failed due to its timing coinciding with the start of the Global Credit Crunch.

Recent events

In February 2010, Sillerman resigned from CKX. Still holding 21% of the shares, he began working with One Equity Partners on a $550m-$560m takeover bid. In May, Fuller teamed up with former Barclays Capital executive Roger Jenkins, creating a $1Bn fund. They propose as their first purchase CKX, at a bid level of $600m. On the current share price, CKX is valued at $395m, with $101m of debt and $55m of cash at the end of first quarter 2010.

Apollo Management bought the company on June 21, 2011.

CKX was renamed CORE Media Group in May 2012.

On November 19, 2013, it was announced that CORE Media Group had sold its stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises and Muhammad Ali Enterprises.

On May 15, 2014, Apollo and 21st Century Fox announced a joint venture to combine 21st Century Fox's Shine Group and Apollo's Endemol and CORE Media Group.

Assets and holdings

CORE's assets and holdings at present include:

• 19 Entertainment - acquired from Simon Fuller in 2005 for $200 million. 19 owns, among other things, a share of the rights to the Idol series, including Pop Idol in Great Britain, American Idol in the United States, and numerous other international versions, and So You Think You Can Dance in the United States.

• Sharp Entertainment - acquired 2012

External links

• Official website