In a development that many saw coming, Hasbro has announced today that it’s initiating a sale process for eOne’s library and adult-skewing scripted and unscripted content businesses.
Unaffected by the move is eOne’s Family Brands and its crown jewel Peppa Pig, the billion-dollar franchise that attracted Hasbro’s interest in the first place. Peppa has been earmarked as a priority IP for the toyco, along with other heavyweights such as My Little Pony, Transformers, Play-Doh, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. eOne’s newest brand-in-the-making, Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes, will also remain with Hasbro, which is planning to premiere the 52 x 11-minute preschool series on Disney Junior and Disney+ next year.
“As we execute Blueprint 2.0 [link] with a focus on strategic investment in key franchise brands like D&D, Peppa Pig and Transformers, we plan to expand our entertainment offerings across scripted TV, digital shorts and blockbuster films,” said CEO Chris Cocks in a statement.
Olivier Dumont, president of kids and family brands at eOne, has confirmed to Kidscreen that his division will not be affected by the sale. The eOne Family Brands portfolio includes high-performing IPs such as PJ Masks, Power Rangers and preschool series Ricky Zoom. PJ Masks, in particular, has a robust Hasbro-branded consumer products program spanning toys, playsets and costumes, as well as a broad range of licensed products from category-leading partners.
Assets that are for sale include eOne’s library content, unscripted series and non-Hasbro scripted series and films, as well as Hasbro’s stake in eOne’s film and TV distribution business.
The announcement builds on Hasbro’s most recent investment call, in which the company introduced a strategy to lean on its legacy IPs for brand-building, while using eOne’s studio capabilities to develop new ones like Kiya. In February, Hasbro hired Ruedilyn Cox as VP of global franchise strategy and management for this fledging TV-driven IP that centers around a young superhero and her best friends.
“The company plans to maintain significant development, production and financing capabilities to support its core brands across film, TV, animation and digital shorts,” according to Hasbro’s investor statement, which notes that its entertainment team will continue to operate under the eOne production banner until—and if—a sale is completed.
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