Lionsgate has acquired Entertainment One’s (eOne)TV and film operations from Hasbro.
News of the sale — which broke just ahead of Hasbro’s Q2 2023 earnings call, scheduled for Thursday morning — comes nearly four years to the date when Hasbro announced their intent to acquire eOne in a $3.8 billion deal in August 2019.
Last November, when Hasbro announced plans to sell assets from eOne, the toymaker noted that the sale would include the parts of the indie studio’s TV and film operations “not directly supporting the company’s branded entertainment strategy” and “Hasbro will maintain the capability to develop and produce animation, digital shorts, scripted TV and theatrical films for audiences related to core Hasbro IP.”
That meant eOne’s 6,500-title content library was up for grabs, as well as the non-Hasbro branded film and scripted TV department, which produced “The Woman King,” as well as “Yellowjackets” and “The Rookie” franchise; the unscripted division, which produces the “Naked & Afraid” franchise; and Entertainment One Canada Limited’s Canadian film and TV business.
Meanwhile, popular IP in the family brand division like “Peppa Pig,” “Transformers,” “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Magic: The Gathering,” “My Little Pony,” “Power Rangers,” “Play-Doh,” “Monopoly” and “Clue” were not only excluded from the deal, but will see “significant development, production and financing capabilities” support across film, TV, animation and digital shorts as they’ve been rolled into Hasbro’s brands licensing and merchandising operation.
In preparation for the potential sale, eOne underwent a series of cost-cutting measures. In 2021, eOne announcing that it would be laying off 10% of its film and television staff, followed by the sale of the studio’s music division to The Blackstone Group for $385 million. By early 2023, Hasbro revealed that it would be laying off some 15% of its global headcount, some 1,000 positions. Last month, eOne shut down its U.K. theatrical distribution business.