The deal, which closed for $375 million, gives Lionsgate access to 6.500 pieces of content, including The Rookie, Yellowjackets, and the Naked & Afraid series.
Lionsgate announced that it had closed the deal to acquire global entertainment platform eOne from Hasbro for $375 million in cash plus the assumption of production financing loans.
The acquisition adds 6,500 film and television titles to Lionsgate’s library, one of the most significant and most valuable in the world diversifies and strengthens its scripted and unscripted television businesses, broadens its portfolio of brands and franchises, and expands its presence in Canada and the United Kingdom.
eOne produces ABC’s hit franchise, The Rookie; Showtime’s acclaimed series, Yellowjackets; and Discovery’s long-running unscripted series, Naked & Afraid. The deal also includes film development rights to Hasbro’s beloved Monopoly brand.
Hasbro paid $4 billion for eOne in 2019 and put itself back up for sale in 2022. The company revealed that the drop in revenue at eOne resulted from U.S. writer and actor strikes, which led to two rounds of layoffs at the Peppa Pig firm last year.
Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lionsgate, said, “The acquisition of eOne concludes a busy year in which we have continued to execute our strategy of strengthening our studio business as we prepare for the separation of Lionsgate and STARZ into independent companies.”
