Business

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, a gaming company famous for hits like Call of Duty, disputed the Federal Trade Commission’s challenge to their proposed $68.7 billion merger on Thursday, writing in a court filing that the U.S. regulator’s concerns that the deal would undermine fair competition in the gaming industry are “unfounded” and “absurd.” The rebuttal foreshadows a coming legal battle between Microsoft, a tech giant that has largely avoided close regulatory scrutiny from federal authorities in recent years, and the FTC, whose chairwoman Lina Khan is a well-known skeptic of big tech.

Stephanie Linnartz, president of the hotel chain Marriott International, will become the next CEO of Under Armour, the company announced Wednesday. Linnartz has worked at Marriott for 25 years, rising through the ranks to become the company’s president in 2021, the Baltimore-based athletic apparel brand said in a news release. “She is a proven growth leader with a distinguished track record of brand strategy, omnichannel execution, talent acquisition and development, and passion for driving best-in-class consumer connectivity, experience, and brand loyalty,” Under Armour founder Kevin Plank said in a statement.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. is bringing its 19 regional sports networks back into the streaming space with a new agreement with FuboTV. The carriage agreement to get the networks back on FuboTV, which was for an undisclosed figure, comes as there have been fewer ways to watch the RSNs online and as the networks have struggled financially. The RSNs have been dropped by a host of online TV providers including YouTube TV, Sling TV and Hulu TV.

Shore United Bank will expand its footprint in Maryland and Virginia with a $254 million deal to merge with a Southern Maryland-based bank. Easton-based Shore Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: SHBI), the fourth largest bank in headquartered in Maryland, is combining with the Community Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:TCFC), the parent company of Waldorf-based Community Bank of the Chesapeake, in a merger of equals. The all-stock deal, which still needs regulatory and shareholder approval, would make the combined bank the 11th largest operating in Maryland with$4.8 billion in combined deposits and $6 billion in assets.

Pandora plans to reduce its space in downtown Baltimore — and take its name off the city skyline — as the company finalizes the move of its North American headquarters to New York City. The Danish jewelry giant announced earlier this month that it will move into 27,000 square feet in the 1540 Broadway building in Times Square in early 2023. While it will keep its Baltimore office at 250 W. Pratt St., Pandora plans to downsize this spring to just 18,237 square feet and take its name off the tower but will stay in the city until at least 2026, a company spokesperson said. Pandora previously had 250 employees and occupied nearly 90,000 square feet in the building, where it has been located since 2015 when it moved its headquarters from Columbia.

A former Baltimore Convention Center executive who worked under its longtime executive director is returning to the city to take over the center’s top post. Matthew “Mac” Campbell is leaving the Strathmore in North Bethesda to fill the executive director role left vacant by the September retirement of Peggy Daidakis, who led the Convention Center since 1986 and served as Campbell’s mentor. Mayor Brandon Scott on Tuesday announced the nomination of Campbell for the city-owned and operated facility. Campbell’s nomination must be approved by the City Council. Campbell takes over at a challenging time for the convention industry, with business still trying to pick up after Covid-19 put an end to conventions and meetings nationally for almost two years.