Hollywood Breakdown
Endeavor ending $400 million deal with the Saudi government
Following the apparent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, most likely ordered by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Endeavor--the parent company of WME--is backing out of a huge $400 million deal it had made with the Saudi government.
By Matthew Belloni • • 3m ListenHollywood has a long history of taking money from dubious sources and not asking too many questions, but the murder of Khashoggi may well prove a tipping point. Lots of media companies have pulled out of the upcoming "Davos in the desert" conference in Saudi Arabia, but Endeavor is the first to say they'll actually give back money--and a lot of it at that. WME represents several well known journalists, and they no doubt added pressure to the company to get out of the deal.
