Skydance Media, the maker of “The Tomorrow War” and “Mission: Impossible,” will develop and produce a slate of live action films as part of a new multi-year pact with Apple Original Films.

The move between the production company and the tech giant has been rumored for months, with buzz building after Apple and Skydance brokered a similar deal for animated films and series. The news is yet another signal of the shift in power in the entertainment landscape from traditional media companies to streaming giants.

Skydance had long been most closely associated with one of those legacy companies in Paramount Pictures. They last signed a four-year theatrical distribution deal with the ViacomCBS-owned studio in 2017, which recently expired. Skydance head David Ellison and former Paramount leader Jim Gianopulos were increasingly at odds over releasing films in a pandemic-struck market, insiders familiar with the companies said.

After successfully unloading projects like “The Tomorrow War” to Amazon Prime Video — a blockbuster for that service — to considerable profit margins, the final straw for Skydance and Paramount came with the July 2021 release of the G.I. Joe story “Snake Eyes.” Skydance was keen to sell it to a streaming player, insiders said, but Gianopulos insisted the film roll out in theaters as the Delta variant of COVID-19 continued to interfere with public life. That project, which reportedly cost close to $90 million, earned $28 million at the domestic box office and a fatal $11 million in international territories. [Update: Sources told Variety that Paramount had a theatrical obligation to “Snake Eyes” rights holder Hasbro, which forced the issue].

Ironically, insiders noted, Skydance and Paramount’s bond has stabilized following a streaming-first reorganization at the legacy studio last September. Gianopulos was abruptly ousted by ViacomCBS leader Shari Redstone, and replaced by executive Brian Robbins. Skydance will continue to work on its ongoing franchises with Paramount, which include “Mission: Impossible,” “Transformers” and “Star Trek.” The company produced the upcoming “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” for the studio, along with the next two installments in the “Mission: Impossible” series. Skydance also has projects with other companies such as its planned sequel to “The Tomorrow War” and Netflix’s upcoming Ryan Reynolds film “The Adam Project.”

Ellison consolidating the majority of his business at Apple is a bit fated. The son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, David Ellison has spoken over the years of the lasting impact of a childhood spent roaming the Apple campus and watching the late Steve Jobs build out the tech monolith.

Apple and Skydance have already announced features including “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe, and “Ghosted,” directed by Dexter Fletcher and starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas. For Apple TV Plus, Skydance produces David S. Goyer’s “Foundation” and the upcoming “The Big Door Prize” from David West Read.

The deal with Skydance should bolster Apple’s arsenal of content. The company recently released Oscar contenders “CODA” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Its upcoming releases include “Emancipation,” from director Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

Ellison consolidating the majority of his business at Apple is a bit fated. The son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, David Ellison has spoken over the years of the lasting impact of a childhood spent roaming the Apple campus and watching the late Steve Jobs build out the tech monolith.

Apple has snared rights to a Friday-night package of Major League Baseball games, extending Silicon Valley’s reach into the world of sports.

Under terms of the new pact, Apple will have exclusive rights to telecast two “Friday Night Baseball” games each week — totaling about 50 per year — in the U.S. and to eight countries overseas, via its Apple TV Plus. Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed the pact during a live-streamed company event. Apple’s pact will start as soon as Major League Baseball and its players’ union settle a labor dispute that has already shortened the league’s next season, and raised concerns over how many games will be played in 2022. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We have a next generation of fans that may be ‘cord-nevers,’ and you’ve got people that are no longer inside the bundle,” says Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer, in an interview, referring to the cable and satellite operators who have for years delivered many live sports broadcasts. “The most important thing for us right now is reach.”

The consumer-electronics manufacturer no doubt hopes an attractive passel of sports rights will bring new viewership to its Apple TV Plus streaming service, which vies for consumer attention and subscription dollars with Disney’s Disney Plus and Netflix, among others, and Apple’s deal only adds to pressures on leagues and media companies to include streaming rights in sports deals. Indeed, ESPN has over the past few years kept streaming rights paramount in its deal making, and the company’s Hulu already shows some live NHL games as part of a deal between the league and sister outlet ESPN. WarnerMedia has deals in place that will let it stream NHL games and, next year, men’s and women’s matches from the U.S. Soccer Federation. Amazon last year won new solo rights to stream the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” and is gearing up for its new tenure.

The MLB games became available after ESPN trimmed its baseball-rights package in a new seven-year agreement with MLB, cutting loose weekday games in favor of a more intense focus on Sunday telecasts, the league’s Home Run Derby and some post-season wild card games.

Major League Baseball is slated to produce the games, Garden says, along with pre- and post-game shows. And there will be other baseball-related programming. “MLB Big Inning” will be a live show featuring highlights and will be available every weeknight during the regular season. Apple TV Plus will also feature a new 24/7 livestream with game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games and more, along with a suite of on-demand programming that could include original content.

Apple plans to offer new coverage of the league and teams that will appear in Apple News, and will give subscribers the ability to watch highlights in its News app.

MLB may have more weekday games to deal. The Apple games represent “a subsection” of the weekday games the league has available, says Garden.

The MLB executive declined to speak about the status of the league’s talks with players. “All I can say is that I look forward to getting back on the field, and that when we do, we are hopeful we in a positioning ourselves and our fans in ways they can find our products and consume our content on the device of their choice.”