Entertainment One

**Entertainment One Ltd.,** is a Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television series. The company remained listing on the London Stock Exchange and it was acquired by Hasbro on December 30, 2019.

It is now in the possession of Lionsgate after Hasbro completed the deal on the 27th of December 2023

## As a Hasbro subsidiary

### 2019

1. On August 22, 2019, American toy and media company Hasbro announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Entertainment One for US$4 billion. Throop cited that its goals to "unlock the power and value of creativity" were "[aligned] with Hasbro's corporate objectives", and would be enhanced by access to Hasbro's properties and merchandising capabilities. eOne's Canadian operations will be structured in such a way as to maintain eligibility for Canadian content classification. The deal was approved by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
2. On November 21, 2019, the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it would investigate the purchase under British competition law, to determine if it would result in a lessening of competition.
3. The sale was completed on December 30, 2019, with the company becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. Throop remains CEO of eOne, reporting to Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner. The UK CMA cleared the acquisition the following month.

### 2020

1. **April 2020**, eOne had in early development (scripting) of its first Hasbro-related film, an untitled Transformers animated film.
2. **October 2020**, eOne took over as Hasbro's new production arm and began development and distribution of content based on properties from the toy company, resulting in Allspark being absorbed into the acquired company.

### 2021

1. On February 10, 2021, it was announced that Hasbro would be laying off 10% of its Film and TV division.
2. In April 2021, eOne announced that it would sell its music division to The Blackstone Group for $385 million.

### 2022

1. On August 22, 2022, it was reported that Hasbro was seeking to sell or restructure its media assets. On the same day, It was announced that CEO Darren Throop would be stepping down at the end of the year.
2. On November 1, 2022, Hasbro confirmed that they would sell Irish animation studio Boulder Media to Australian animation studio Princess Pictures.
3. On November 17, 2022, Hasbro announced they were putting the entirety of Entertainment One up for sale, including all of their non-Hasbro assets ranging from scripted and unscripted television and films, but would exclude the company's ex-children's properties like *Peppa Pig.* This resulted in a transaction that would place the distribution rights to the Allspark library and newer content back to Hasbro.

### 2023:

1. **March 2023**, *Deadline* reported that Lionsgate (after Hasbro attempted to acquire in 2017), Fremantle and Legendary will bid for the assets of eOne.
2. **April 2023;** The following month, it was reported Lionsgate and Legendary remained among the four potential buyers, the other two being CVC Capital Partners and GoDigital Media Group. Fremantle however dropped out of contention following an increase in the selling price, which was beyond what the company was willing to pay for the assets . Then hours later it was reported that the founder of Entertainment One Darren Throop emerges as potential buyer, essentially returning the company back to the founder if successful.
3. **July 2023**, *Deadline* reported that Lionsgate was a frontrunner to acquire Entertainment One, with Legendary and GoDigital still among the potential buyers and Throop attempting to launch another bid for the company after his previous attempt with CVC failed.  Also In July 2023, it was reported that Entertainment One was shutting its distribution services in the United Kingdom down, with UK staff layoffs also taking place as part of budget cuts made by Hasbro
4. **August 2023**, Hasbro announced that it had reached an agreement to sell eOne's entertainment assets to Lionsgate for $500 million, paying $375 million in cash and assuming $125 million in production financing loans. The sale is expected to close by the end of 2023.
5. **December 27th 2023**: Hasbro completes the deal with Lionsgate and has paid the amount needed. As a result it is no longer a Hasbro subsidiary.

## External links

* Entertainment\_One at Wikipedia

Entertainment one website

## References

1. ↑  https://deadline.com/2023/04/eone-sale-lionsgate-legendary-hasbro-cvc-capital-godigital-1235325962/ eOne: Lionsgate & Legendary Remain Among 4 Potential Buyers As Hasbro Company Sale Nears Finish Line
2. ↑ eOne's ex-CEO Darren Throop emerges as potential buyer as Hasbro sale reaches final stages - TBI Vision
3. ↑ Hasbro In Talks to Sell Entertainment One to Founder Darren Throop – The Hollywood Reporter
4. ↑ Hasbro in Talks to Sell ‘Yellowjackets’ EOne Studio to Founder Darren Throop - Bloomberg
5. ↑  Lionsgate In Pole Position On Entertainment One Acquisition
6. ↑  UK Distribution Stalwart eOne Shutting Down Theatrical Operation As Hasbro’s Global Cuts Continue To Bite
7. ↑ Hasbro to Sell eOne Film & TV Business to Lionsgate