Abry Partners' $100 million stake in Kevin Hart's company HartBeat is the latest big M&A move in Hollywood. Dealmakers said production companies are valuable amid the streaming wars and demand for content. The M&A activity had top Hollywood dealmakers telling Insider in early 2022 that practically every independent production company is a target. Many production companies make work-for-hire or don't control the rights to a project once it is sold off to a studio distributor. Based on January interviews with five entertainment industry experts and insiders, Insider identified a list of 10 production companies that could be compelling acquisition targets as M&A activity continues.

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