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“Amazon joins MGM,” Amazon said Thursday as the $8.5 billion deal announced last May closes.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAmazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM first announced last May, the companies said Thursday.Per Amazon, “The storied, nearly century-old studio—with more than 4,000 film titles, 17,000 TV episodes, 180 Academy Awards, and 100 Emmy Awards—will complement Prime Video and Amazon Studios’ work in delivering a diverse offering of entertainment choices to customers.”The completion of the transaction comes two days after the Amazon-MGM deal received clearance from the European Union’s antitrust regulator, which “unconditionally” approved Amazon’s proposed acquisition of MGM, in part because “MGM’s content cannot be considered as must-have.” The European Commission, in its antitrust review, found that the overlaps between the Amazon and MGM businesses are “limited.” At that time, the deal was still pending approval by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which had been given a mid-March deadline by Amazon to issue a decision on approval of the transaction, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe European Union’s antitrust regulator “unconditionally” approved Amazon’s proposed $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, in part because “MGM’s content cannot be considered as must-have.” The deal is still pending approval by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.The European Commission on Tuesday announced the approval of the deal, announced in May 2021.

Amazon has hired Kelly Day to head up its international streaming business.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDigital media veteran Kelly Day is exiting ViacomCBS to join Amazon as VP of Prime Video International, a newly created role overseeing the ecommerce giant’s streaming video businessDay will join Amazon in early January 2022, reporting to Mike Hopkins, senior VP of Amazon Studios and Prime Video.Most recently, Day has served as president of streaming for ViacomCBS Networks International as she had been president of Viacom Digital Studios for over two years.

A long-time top Jeff Bezos lieutenant, Jeff Blackburn, is returning to Amazon in a new position, SVP of Global Media & Entertainment. He will oversee all entertainment business including Prime Video and Amazon Studios, Music, Podcasts/Wondery, Audible, Games, and Twitch.

Shawn Mendes celebrated Earth Day with a visit to the International Space Station.

Ravi Ahuja, who left Disney at the end of last year, has been named Chairman of Global Television Studios at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development.

Four NASA astronauts will be celebrating Thanksgiving in space this year, celebrating the holiday on board the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi recently arrived at the orbiting space lab in the first operational SpaceX Crew Dragon launch.They were welcomed aboard by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.

Ellise Shafer editorSpaceX successfully sent four astronauts on a six-month journey to the International Space Station on Sunday night, in the company’s second crewed mission for NASA.After the mission was delayed yesterday due to poor weather, a Crew Dragon spacecraft called “Resilience” launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on top of a Falcon 9 rocket at 7:27 p.m.

NASA’s first SpaceX operational Crew Dragon mission is set for launch Saturday. The mission will bring NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon vehicle.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorMarketing veteran Ukonwa Ojo has been named CMO of Amazon’s Prime Video and Amazon Studios, joining the ecommerce giant’s entertainment division from chief marketing post at MAC Cosmetics.Ojo is responsible for leading global brand and originals marketing, reporting directly to Mike Hopkins, SVP of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, who joined the company in February.

In a sign that Amazon is enmeshing itself even further into the entertainment industry, Jeff Bezos is adding one of Hollywood’s own to his inner circle.

By Nellie Andreeva

Sony Pictures Television Chairman Mike Hopkins is departing his post at the industry’s largest independent TV studio to oversee Amazon’s video entertainment operations, including Amazon Studios and Prime Video, effective Feb. 24.