MGM acquires ‘Real Housewives’ studio Evolution Media – FierceCable

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is buying the assets of Evolution Media and rolling them into MGMs television division led by Mark Burnett, president of the Television Group & Digital.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founder and CEO Douglas Ross will be president of the acquired business and Alex Baskin, executive vice president of programming anddevelopment, will become Evolutions president of programming and development.

Evolution Media produced series including The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules for Bravo, as well as other series for E! network, CBS, NBC and Disney Channel.

Those productions will join MGM Televisions current series including Survivor (CBS), The Voice (NBC), Shark Tank (ABC), Jamie Foxxs Beat Shazam (FOX) and Steve Harveys FUNDERDOME (ABC), along with scripted series Fargo (FX), The Handmaids Tale (Hulu), Vikings (HISTORY) and the upcoming Get Shorty (EPIX).

Doug and Alex have been creating and producing hit series for decades. These guys have talent and drive and will help our MGM Television hit machine to continue to grow and grow, said Burnett in a statement.

After 30 years of being fiercely independent, we couldnt be more proud and excited to join forces with the dynamic, creative and supportive leadership team at MGM. We look forward to working with Gary, Mark and Barry to supercharge Evolution and to write the next chapters in the companys history with them, said Ross in a statement.

RELATED: MGM to spend more than $1B to buy out Viacom and Lionsgate in Epix acquisition

Earlier this year, MGM dropped about $1 billion to buy the whole of Epix from co-owners Viacom and Lionsgate.

"The addition of EPIX provides MGM with a premier distribution platform that complements our strong stable of new and library content in both film and television. The acquisition creates increased revenue diversity, new opportunities for growth, and earnings accretion for the benefit of stockholders," said Gary Barber, chairman and CEO of MGM, in a statement.

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MGM acquires 'Real Housewives' studio Evolution Media - FierceCable