Relativity Media Funding, Investors & Competitors

Relativity Media has raised $750M across 3 funding rounds, most recently a $400M undisclosed-stage round in March 2016.

Last Relativity Media funding round

$400M

Undisclosed stage · Mar 2016

Cumulative funding Relativity Media raised

$750M

across 3 funding rounds

Key investors in Relativity Media

  • Ryan Kavanaugh
  • VII Peaks Capital
  • TomorrowVentures
  • Macquarie Group
  • Carat
  • Maple Leaf Films

Relativity Media Overview

About Relativity Media

Relativity Media is a Los Angeles-based entertainment company focused on film and television production. It finances, produces, and distributes motion pictures like 'Birds of Prey' alongside TV series and sports representation services. The studio handles third-party film distribution and music publishing for soundtracks in North American and international markets.


Founded

2004

HQ

United StatesLos Angeles, CA

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Services

Relativity Media Funding History

Relativity Media has raised a total of $750M across 3 funding rounds.

Relativity Media's first fundraising round was a $250M undisclosed-stage round in April 2015. The most recent completed round was a $400M undisclosed-stage round in March 2016.

Relativity Media funding rounds

Relativity Media funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Mar 2016Undisclosed stageMaple Leaf Films (lead)$400MRelativity Media, a Hollywood film studio, announced $400 million in equity film financing from Maple Leaf Films, part of U.K. investment firm Maple Leaf Capital, on March 17, 2016, just ahead of a key bankruptcy hearing. The deal was described as equity film financing rather than a standard VC equity round for company ownership. The $400 million figure represents the amount of film financing secured, not the company's overall valuation. This financing enabled the studio to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The financing supported Relativity's film production slate amid its bankruptcy restructuring.
Jan 2016Undisclosed stageTomorrowVentures; Ryan Kavanaugh; VII Peaks Capital; Carat; Macquarie Group$100MRelativity Media, a film and television production company founded by Ryan Kavanaugh, was emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed in July 2015 with nearly $1.2 billion in liabilities and $560 million in assets. In late January 2016, ahead of a key bankruptcy hearing, the company announced new financing commitments exceeding $100 million from existing investors including Macquarie Bank, Joseph Nicholas, Ryan Kavanaugh, Carey Metz of Atorus Investment Management, and new investors Carat Global, TomorrowVentures, and VII Peaks Capital. This financing was separate from $180 million in senior debt acquired by Kavanaugh and Nicholas, which was expected to convert under the reorganization plan, and an additional asset-backed facility syndicated by GHL & Company and Aperture Media Partners. The funding aimed to support Relativity's post-bankruptcy operations across film, television, branding, sports, digital, and education, with Kavanaugh and Nicholas as co-managers of parent Relativity Holdings. The company had recently acquired Trigger Street Productions, bringing Kevin Spacey as chairman of RelativityStudios and Dana Brunetti as president. Its TV production business had been sold for $125 million to creditors, leaving a highly leveraged balance sheet with $315 million in total debt upon bankruptcy exit in spring 2016. Later in 2016, Relativity faced ongoing struggles, including a proposed $50-150 million investment from YuuZoo for a 33% stake, but creditors questioned its sufficiency given the company's small film library of about 40 titles and history of underperformance.
Apr 2015Undisclosed stageVII Peaks Capital (lead); Ryan Kavanaugh$250MRelativity Media, a film studio known for co-financing hits like 'The Social Network' and 'Bridesmaids,' filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015 with liabilities of nearly $1.2 billion against a $560 million book value of assets, following box-office flops that strained its debt payments. Court documents highlighted $1.78 billion in total liabilities, including $340 million in recourse debt. Ryan Kavanaugh, the founder with an estimated 11-30% ownership stake, had claimed earlier that year the company raised $250 million ahead of a planned IPO, though this preceded the bankruptcy filing. Equity investors included Ron Burkle, Dune Capital Partners (linked to Steven Mnuchin), and VII Peaks Capital, while creditors encompassed Anchorage Capital, Falcon Investment Advisors, Luxor Capital, and Elliott Management. In the bankruptcy auction process, senior creditors Anchorage Capital Group, Luxor Capital Group, and Falcon Investment Advisors submitted a $250 million stalking horse bid for the company, with debtor-in-possession financing of $49.5 million provided by Lyxor and Anchorage. A judge approved the sale of Relativity's TV business to secured creditors, while Kavanaugh and his investor group—including VII Peaks Capital, Joseph Nicholas, and OA3 (backed by Ron Burkle)—agreed to invest $60 million for the remaining non-TV assets, such as film, music, digital divisions, and minority stakes in a sports agency and distribution JV. Elliott Management committed $35 million as a lender, with Relativity assuming $30 million in debt as part of reorganization. The company had marketed itself to dozens of potential buyers, providing 40,000 pages of documents, and received interest from over 100 parties, with 20 accessing detailed asset info ahead of a September 25 bid deadline and October 1 auction. Despite hopes to emerge intact, the enterprise was split, with the TV unit seen as having strong near-term cash flow potential. Ongoing issues included complex rights agreements for TV shows and movies, set for a hearing on October 14, 2015.

Who has invested in Relativity Media?

6 investors have backed Relativity Media across its funding rounds, including Ryan Kavanaugh, VII Peaks Capital, TomorrowVentures, Macquarie Group, Carat and Maple Leaf Films.

Lead investors include Maple Leaf Films and VII Peaks Capital.


Relativity Media Investors

Investors in Relativity Media by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Ryan KavanaughUnited StatesUnited States2ParticipantApr 2015
VII Peaks CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2LeadApr 2015
Maple Leaf Films--1LeadMar 2016
TomorrowVenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJan 2016

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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples

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Acquisitions by Relativity Media

Relativity Media has acquired 1 company to date.

Last acquisition by Relativity Media was on January 6th 2016. Relativity Media acquired Trigger Street Productions for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by Relativity Media

Trigger Street Productions
Description
Trigger Street Productions is a film and television production company based in Los Angeles, known for Academy Award-nominated features like Captain Phillips and Margin Call. The studio developed Netflix series such as House of Cards and produced documentaries including Inseparable. Operating from 1997 until 2018, Trigger Street collaborated with directors like David Fincher and released projects through 20th Century Fox and Plan B Entertainment.
HQ CountryUnited States
HQ City
New York City, NY
Deal Date6 Jan 2016
Valuationundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Relativity Media Competitors

Relativity Media competitors include listed companies like Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal Music, and private ones like Epic Games and Kakao Entertainment.

Public and private companies comparable to Relativity Media
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
NetflixUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$45B$30B$314B6.4x
DisneyUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$94B$19B$182B2.3x
Warner Bros. DiscoveryUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$37B$21B$71B2.8x
Universal MusicNetherlandsNetherlandsPublicly listed$14B$3B$31B2.4x
Epic GamesUnited StatesRaleigh, NCPrivate$5.7B-$23B3.9x
Kakao EntertainmentSouth KoreaSeongnamPrivate$1.2B-$7B5.8x

Relativity Media Public Comps

Relativity Media is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Universal Music, Liberty Media, Warner Music Group, TKO, Paramount Skydance, Toho and Bilibili.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Netflix$45B$30B7.1x6.4x10.6x19.8x
Disney$94B$19B2.4x2.3x12.3x10.3x
Warner Bros. Discovery$37B$21B2.7x2.8x4.8x12.0x
Universal Music$14B$3B2.5x2.4x11.9x11.5x
Liberty Media$4.5B$1.4B6.2x5.9x20.1x23.3x
Warner Music Group$6.7B$1B2.9x2.6x18.6x11.0x
TKO$4.7B$1.3B4.9x4.2x17.5x11.1x
Paramount Skydance$29B($5.1B)0.9x0.9x(5.4x)7.6x

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Common questions about Relativity Media

When was Relativity Media founded?Relativity Media was founded in 2004.
Where is Relativity Media headquartered?Relativity Media is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Is Relativity Media publicly listed?No, Relativity Media is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has Relativity Media raised?Relativity Media has raised $750M across 3 funding rounds.
What was Relativity Media's last funding round?Relativity Media's last funding round was a $400M undisclosed-stage round in March 2016, led by Maple Leaf Films.
Who are Relativity Media's investors?Relativity Media's investors include Ryan Kavanaugh, VII Peaks Capital, Maple Leaf Films, TomorrowVentures, Carat and Macquarie Group.
Which companies are comparable to Relativity Media?Companies comparable to Relativity Media include Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Universal Music, Epic Games and Kakao Entertainment.
How many companies has Relativity Media acquired?Relativity Media has acquired 1 company, including Trigger Street Productions.

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