Entertainment One
From Transformers Wiki
Entertainment One, or eOne, is a multinational film, television, music, and home video producer and distributor headquartered in Canada. They were the distributor of Hasbro media content from 2020 to 2023. They are also famous for producing Peppa Pig, Ricky Zoom and PJ Masks.
History
Entertainment One has its origins in 1970 as Records on Wheels and the music retail chain CD Plus. CD Plus acquired Records on Wheels and merged to become ROW Entertainment.[1] Soon, the company became Entertainment One in 2007.[2]
In 2011, eOne acquired Alliance Films, absorbing the company. This gave them the rights to the Alliance Atlantis trademarks and fanfare, with the rest of that company's businesses having been previously sold off.[3]
On August 22, 2019, Hasbro announced that they reached an agreement to acquire eOne for US$4 billion. eOne CEO Darren 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.[4] The deal was completed on December 30[5]. This deal led to the absorption of Allspark[6], with eOne's logo replacing Allspark's starting with Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Earthrise. Their first project since becoming a Hasbro subsidiary is Transformers One.[7]
On November 17, 2022, Hasbro announced that they intend to sell the film and television assets of eOne to focus on their brands as they look to become a digital games giant. Hasbro's branded programming, including Transformers and Peppa Pig, would not be included in the transaction.[8] On August 3, 2023, Hasbro confirmed they would be selling eOne, except the Family Brands division, to Lionsgate for $500 million.[9] Thirteen days later, a successor for Entertainment One under Hasbro's ownership was formed as Hasbro Entertainment.[10] The deal with Lionsgate was finalized on December 27.[11]
References
- ↑ The Globe and Mail: How the CEO of Canada's eOne built a global entertainment giant (archived)
- ↑ The Globe and Mail: Entertainment One accepts Marwyn takeover (archived)
- ↑ The Guardian: Entertainment One buys Alliance Films (archived)
- ↑ Variety: Hasbro Acquires Entertainment One in $4 Billion All-Cash Deal
- ↑ eOne Press Release
- ↑ Kidscreen: eOne takes the reins on Hasbro’s content efforts
- ↑ Deadline: Animated ‘Transformers’ Prequel Activated; ‘Toy Story 4’s Josh Cooley To Direct For Hasbro/eOne & Paramount
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter: Hasbro Puts Entertainment One Film, TV Unit Up for Sale
- ↑ Deadline: Hasbro Confirms Sale Of eOne To Lionsgate For $500M
- ↑ Variety: Hasbro Launches Entertainment Division Led by eOne Executives Olivier Dumont, Zev Foreman, Gabriel Marano
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter: Lionsgate Closes Entertainment One Merger
