Entertainment One is known for producing and distributing art-house movies and adult series for buyers in the U.S., U.K. and other key markets. Hasbro’s Toy Box Is Bigger Than Ever With $3.8 Billion Entertainment One Takeover. Hasbro is poised to become a bigger player in entertainment now that the toy giant has completed its acquisition of Entertainment One. Hasbro has officially closed its $3.8 billion deal to acquire Entertainment One, as reported Monday. Hasbro’s made little secret of its ambition to expand from toymaker to Hollywood powerhouse over the years, and its production deal with Paramount Pictures has already long-since proven that the company’s best-known properties can translate at the box office. which includes $2 billion worth of movies and TV series, when Hasbro’s Baby Yoda toys hit shelves next year, an exceptional flop given its $220 million budget (not including marketing), despite being budgeted at just $5 million. Entertainment One boss could trot away with £68m as Peppa Pig owner becomes £4bn takeover target. The continued popularity of Peppa Pig is helping its owner Entertainment One to remain confident that it will meet its profits expectations for the year. The G.I. Other companies considered at risk of a takeover include the supermarket Morrisons, the Premier Inn owner Whitbread and ITV. [13][20] Acquisitions continued in 2008 with the purchase of the Benelux distributor RCV Entertainment. Follow them to see all their posts. [24] On May 28, 2012, eOne placed a bid to purchase the Canadian film distributor Alliance Films from Goldman Sachs Group and Investissement Québec. But eOne offers Hasbro a new production wing through which it can pursue smaller-scale adaptations of both its and eOne’s family-friendly IP, especially ones with the brand recognition of Peppa Pig that could be lucrative without the kind of blockbuster scale that’s become a Paramount specialty. Whether it’s an animated series or a Peppa Pig/G.I. It will also be able to team with eOne on its more recent expansions into feature films like the upcoming Clifford the Big Red Dog and Monster Problems, both Paramount coproductions. Britain's competition watchdog has launched a review of Hasbro Inc's proposed $4 billion deal to buy Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One , it said on Thursday. [22] Throop stated that the company was attempting to "replicate the success of Alliance Atlantis", with a focus on diversifying into production alongside distribution. Hasbro’s deal for Entertainment One is the biggest in the toy company’s history, more than three times the amount ITV offered in an aborted takeover attempt three years ago. [85] In March 2016, Chris Taylor became the new president of eOne Music after it acquired his label Last Gang Records. The shares were trading at 571p at the market Anti-buyout law would hit UK recovery, say business groups, Spanish Puig snaps up Charlotte Tilbury makeup empire, Virgin Media and O2 owners confirm £31bn mega-merger in UK, Computer firm HP rejects takeover approach by Xerox, Controversial US takeover of defence firm Cobham hits new delay, Greene King sale isn’t one for pubgoers to drink to, Greene King to be sold to Hong Kong's richest family for £2.7bn, British Steel: tentative deal with Turkish bidder could save 4,000 jobs, sterling to its lowest level against the dollar in recent years, bought the 220-year-old pub and beer company Greene King, subject to a £5bn private equity-led takeover, ITV offered in an aborted takeover attempt, moved to take control in a £140m deal in 2015. © Copyright 2020 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. subscription revenues are more reliable than ads and wants a piece of the Other films planned at Paramount include a G.I. Since listing on AIM, eOne has made a series of acquisitions. Launch dates for broadcast, cable and streaming programs, Up-to-date lists for broadcast, cable and streaming series, Pandemic-proof vs. pandemic-contingent broadcast lineups, Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters, Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. In April 2005, the company launched a distribution division, Barna-Alper Releasing. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. [26] On May 28, 2014, eOne announced a strategic investment in interactive agency Secret Location; the firm would continue to operate independently under the leadership of James Milward (President, Executive Producer and Founder), and partners Pietro Gagliano (Creative Director and SVP) and Ryan Andal (Technical Director and SVP). Full-years profits are also in line with expectations. Now the world’s second-biggest attractions giant, behind Disney, operating more than 130 attractions, along with hotels and holiday villages, in 27 countries. Target: InmarsatBuyer: A takeover group led by the private equity firms Apax and Warburg Pincus which also includes the Canadian pension fund CPPIB and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan BoardPrice: $6bn (£5bn)The company was set up in 1979 by the International Maritime Organization, the UN’s maritime body, as an international governmental organisation to enable ships to communicate with shore and to call for help in emergencies, which it still does today. Hasbro, known for its Nerf guns and Power Rangers action figures among others, made its cash offer in August. “There’s a strong cultural fit between our two companies,” said Darren Throop, the chief executive of Entertainment One. Its vice president of operations, Darren Throop, had joined the company after CD Plus acquired his Halifax-based record store chain Urban Sound Exchange. [55], In 2019, eOne acquired UK-based unscripted company Daisybeck Studios. “Hasbro’s portfolio of integrated toy, game and consumer products will further fuel the tremendous success we’ve achieved at eOne.”, Target: Entertainment OneBuyer: Hasbro, US owner of toy brands from Monopoly to My Little PonyPrice: $4bn (£3.3bn)Entertainment One was founded in Canada in 1973 as a music distributor. [13][14][15][16], Afterward, ROW began to diversify its operations into content ownership. action. The company has its origins in the music distributor Records on Wheels (which was established in 1970), and the music retail chain CD Plus. What the series currently lacks— and what properties like Peppa Pig may need to locate to succeed—is a Bay-esque architect, with a unique vision for what the property could be on screen. It has opted to waive through the takeover. With Bay handing over the reins to director Travis Knight (best known for Laika’s stop-motion wonder Kubo and the Two Strings), and Hailee Steinfeld serving as the franchise’s first female lead (Mark Wahlberg and Shia LaBeouf had led previous entries), the film earned positive notices and suggested a new, more hopeful tone and style that could inform future installments. In April 2019, eOne acquired UK-based Audio Network, an independent creator and publisher of original music for use in film, television, advertising and digital media. Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis. [51][52], In March 2018, eOne acquired live entertainment company Round Room Live, which organizes major tours including PJ Masks among others. [13], In April 2011, eOne acquired Australian distribution company Hopscotch for £12.9 million. The deal secured distribution rights for eOne in its territories and Universal in all other territories worldwide. "Hasbro is "But advertisers may shy away if the best [40] In 2016, eOne acquired a majority stake in unscripted production company Renegade 83. portfolio of popular children’s brands seen on the screen and on the shelves.". [7], In 2017, eOne joined Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment, Alibaba Pictures and Universal Pictures in backing Amblin Partners, a content creation company led by Steven Spielberg. the perfect owner of Entertainment One which boasts an ever-increasing © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Film adaptations are on the table, but movies based on toys are by no means guaranteed box-office hits, and that kind of endeavor comes with a slew of added financial risks. Masks brand alongside Entertainment One. Entertainment One Takeover Rumours (ETO) Follow ETO. [43] That same year, eOne acquired music management company Nerve.

Hasbro's takeover of Entertainment One should strengthen its brand portfolio.

The toymaker counts Monopoly, Transformers, Nerf, and My Little Pony among its brands. Bollywood Icon Akshay Kumar On Shooting Spy Movie ‘Bellbottom’ In Scotland During The Pandemic, Next Projects & Whether He’d Consider Politics – The Deadline Q&A, ‘The Office’ Executive Producer Anil Gupta Joins Sky Studios To Lead In-House Comedy, ‘The Witcher’: Netflix Offers First Look At Henry Cavill’s Geralt Of Rivia In Season 2, James Cameron To Headline Wildscreen; Netflix Underway On ‘We Were Songs’; TCB Media Rights Founders Resurface; Channel 5 Orders ‘Intruder’ Drama — Global Briefs, Returns To White House After Hospital Stay; Doctor Says POTUS In “Uncharted Territory’ With COVID-19, ‘Dune’ Drifts Away From Dec. To Fall 2021; ‘Batman’ Heads To 2022 & Other DC Moves, New Line Hits ‘Super High’, Hot Package Starring Craig Robinson, Andy Samberg & Common, Netflix Taps Out ‘GLOW’ As COVID Claims Final Season; ‘Teenage Bounty Hunters’ Also Ends. Through the Transformers franchise, Hasbro’s settled into a highly profitable groove over at Paramount; the film studio makes, markets, and racks up box-office receipts from pricey blockbusters like the Transformers movies, while Hasbro reaps the benefits in terms of lucrative merchandise sales, timing new product lines around film releases. In June 2005, it acquired the American independent music distributor and home entertainment publisher Koch Entertainment.