Overview

Corvane Ryle advises the companies and institutions that create, distribute and finance entertainment, sport and news. Our clients include film and television studios, streaming services, music and gaming companies, professional leagues and clubs, publishers, broadcasters, advertising technology businesses and the investors that back them.

Media businesses are being rebuilt around direct relationships with audiences. Streaming economics, bundling and password sharing have prompted consolidation and new partnerships, while sports media rights are shifting toward platform and direct-to-fan models. Generative AI has opened difficult questions about training data, likeness, voice and credit, and has made copyright and licensing terms central to talent, studio and vendor agreements. Subscription services face automatic renewal rules, advertising-supported tiers depend on data and consent, and children's privacy rules shape product design for younger audiences. Private equity and sovereign capital are now significant investors in sports franchises, which raises league approval, governance and antitrust questions.

Our lawyers combine M&A, finance, intellectual property, technology transactions, antitrust, privacy, consumer protection and litigation experience. We help clients buy, finance and license content and franchises, and we defend them when rights are contested. Celeste Varga in San Francisco leads our intellectual property litigation work, including copyright and AI disputes, and Daniel Achterberg advises on the technology transactions and AI questions that run through modern media deals.

Clients in this sector value speed, discretion and creativity. Rights and franchises are unique assets, and the best outcomes usually come from combining deal structuring with a clear view of litigation and regulatory risk. We work with executives, creators, league officials and investors to find solutions that protect value while keeping projects on schedule.

Representative experience

• Advised a streaming service on a multi-year sports media rights acquisition.
• Represented a private equity consortium in its acquisition of a minority stake in a professional sports franchise.
• Counseled a film studio on generative AI provisions in talent and vendor agreements.
• Defended a music publisher in a copyright action concerning sampling.
• Advised a publisher on the sale of a portfolio of magazines to a digital media group.
• Acted for a lender on a library-backed financing for a television production company.
• Counseled a subscription video service on renewal and cancellation practices in the US and UK.
• Advised an advertising technology company on consent and measurement for connected television.
• Represented a gaming company in the acquisition of a mobile studio.