Entertainment One facts for kids
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Trade name
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Entertainment One |
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Formerly
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| Subsidiary | |
| Traded as | LSE: ETO |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Fate | Reorganized, acquired by Lionsgate, then split into eOne Canada, eOne Films and Lionsgate Alternative Television |
| Predecessors |
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| Successors | eOne Canada (films and television series within Canada) eOne Films (films) Lionsgate Alternative Television (television series) |
| Founded | 1970 |
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| Headquarters |
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Canada
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Revenue | £941.2 million (2019) |
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| Subsidiaries |
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Entertainment One, often called eOne, is a big entertainment company from Canada. It's based in Toronto, Ontario. This company mainly buys and makes movies and TV shows.
eOne started as a music company called Records on Wheels Limited in Canada. Later, a music store company called CD Plus bought it. The company then became ROW Entertainment. Darren Throop, who was a vice president, became its leader. Later, it bought a U.S. music and home video company called Koch Entertainment.
By 2007, the company, now known as Entertainment One, started buying other film and TV companies. This included Canadian companies like Les Films Séville and Alliance Films. By 2015, eOne grew its business in the U.S. It invested in Amblin Partners and bought a part of The Mark Gordon Company. In 2019, a big toy and entertainment company from the U.S., Hasbro, bought eOne for about $4 billion.
Under Hasbro, eOne started to make some changes. In 2021, Hasbro sold eOne's original music business (now called MNRK Music Group). In 2022 and 2023, eOne stopped showing its movies in cinemas in Australia, Canada, Spain, and the UK. This was because Hasbro wanted to focus on eOne's children's brands, like Peppa Pig. These brands became part of Hasbro's own business. In August 2023, Hasbro announced it would sell many eOne assets to Lionsgate for $500 million. The deal finished on December 27, 2023. After this, eOne was split into three new companies: eOne Canada (for films and TV shows in Canada), eOne Films (for films outside Canada), and Lionsgate Alternative Television (for TV shows outside Canada).
Contents
The Story of eOne
How it Started
The company began in 1970 as a music distributor called Records on Wheels Limited. It was also connected to a music store chain called CD Plus. CD Plus was buying other companies to grow its music and home video business. In 2001, it bought Records on Wheels. Darren Throop joined the company after CD Plus bought his record store chain. The combined company became ROW Entertainment, with Throop as its CEO.
Later, ROW started to own more of the content it distributed. In June 2005, it bought Koch Entertainment, a U.S. music and home entertainment company. After this, it changed its name to Entertainment One Income Fund.
In 2007, a company called Marwyn Investment Management invested $188 million in eOne. This money helped eOne grow even more. The company then listed its shares on a stock market in London.
Growing Bigger
In 2007, Entertainment One bought a film company from Montreal called Seville Pictures. It also bought a British company called Contender Entertainment Group. That same year, eOne made a deal with Summit Entertainment to distribute their films in Canada and the UK. In 2008, eOne bought RCV Entertainment, a distributor in Europe. It also bought TV studios Blueprint and Barna-Alper, and Oasis International, a TV distributor. The CEO, Darren Throop, said they wanted to be like Alliance Atlantis, focusing on making content as well as distributing it. In 2008, the company also listed its shares on the main London Stock Exchange.
On April 12, 2011, eOne bought an Australian distribution company called Hopscotch. On May 28, 2012, eOne offered to buy the Canadian film company Alliance Films. This deal was completed on January 9, 2013. This gave eOne the rights to distribute films from companies like The Weinstein Company and Lionsgate in Canada. On May 28, 2014, eOne invested in a digital agency called Secret Location. On June 2, 2014, eOne bought Phase 4 Films. Its CEO, Berry Meyerowitz, became the head of eOne's U.S. film business. On July 17, eOne bought Paperny Entertainment. On August 28, 2014, eOne bought Force Four Entertainment.
On January 5, 2015, eOne bought 51% of Mark Gordon's studio, The Mark Gordon Company. This was part of eOne's plan to grow in the U.S. On September 9, 2015, eOne brought back the Momentum Pictures brand. It also made a deal with Orion Pictures to buy films together.
On September 16, 2015, Marwyn Investment Management sold its share in eOne to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
On September 30, 2015, eOne bought 70% of Astley Baker Davies, a British animation studio that makes Peppa Pig. On December 16, 2015, eOne joined Steven Spielberg, Reliance Entertainment, and Participant Media to create Amblin Partners. eOne invested in this new company.
In 2016, eOne continued to expand. It invested in Sierra Pictures and acquired Dualtone Music Group. On March 8, 2016, eOne bought Last Gang Records, a music company. Its founder, Chris Taylor, became president of eOne's music division. In 2016, eOne also bought a majority share in Renegade 83, a company that makes unscripted TV shows.
On February 24, 2016, Entertainment One made a deal with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. This deal allowed Fox to release eOne's movies on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK.
On August 10, 2016, eOne turned down an offer from British TV company ITV plc to buy eOne for £1 billion. eOne felt the offer was too low.
On August 17, 2016, eOne announced it would fully acquire Secret Location. On September 12, 2016, eOne bought Hardlivings, a music management company in the UK. That same year, eOne also acquired Nerve, another music management company.
In 2017, eOne combined its film and TV studios into one structure. This was to focus more on making content rather than just buying other companies.
On May 17, 2017, eOne partnered with Brad Weston to create his new studio, Makeready. eOne was a main investor and had rights to distribute its TV shows internationally.
On January 29, 2018, eOne bought the remaining 49% of The Mark Gordon Company. Mark Gordon became eOne's new president for film, TV, and digital content.
On April 9, 2018, eOne bought Whizz Kid Entertainment, a UK production company. Later that year, eOne invested in Jeffrey Katzenberg's short-form digital content company, "NewTV" (which later became Quibi).
On January 8, 2019, eOne's Australia division made a deal with Universal Pictures. This meant Universal would handle theatrical and home video distribution in Australia. In March 2019, Entertainment One ended its home media deal with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. This happened after The Walt Disney Company bought Fox. eOne then made a new deal with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Universal would handle home media distribution for eOne's films and TV shows in many countries.
In 2019, eOne bought Daisybeck Studios, a UK company, and Blackfin, a U.S. company that makes unscripted shows. Also in 2019, eOne Music bought Audio Network, a British company that makes music for films and TV, for $215 million.
Big Purchases and Sales
Since joining the London Stock Exchange, eOne has made many purchases. Here are some of them:
- On June 14, 2007, eOne bought Contender Entertainment Group. This company included brands like Rubber Duck Entertainment and Hong Kong Legends. With this purchase, eOne gained rights to Peppa Pig.
- On August 17, 2007, eOne bought Seville Entertainment Inc.
- On January 9, 2008, eOne bought RCV Entertainment, a company based in the Netherlands.
- On July 4, 2008, eOne bought TV producers Blueprint Entertainment and Barna-Alper Productions. It also bought distributors Oasis International and Maximum Films.
- On April 12, 2011, eOne bought Hopscotch, an Australian distribution company.
- On January 22, 2013, eOne bought Alliance Films.
- On June 2, 2014, eOne bought Phase 4 Films.
- On July 17, 2014, eOne bought Paperny Entertainment.
- On August 28, 2014, eOne bought Force Four Entertainment.
- In May 2014, eOne invested in Secret Location, a digital agency, and later took full control.
- In January 2015, eOne bought 51% of The Mark Gordon Company. This studio made TV shows like Criminal Minds and films like Speed. eOne bought the rest of the company on January 30, 2018.
- On September 30, 2015, eOne bought a controlling share in Astley Baker Davies. This increased its ownership of the Peppa Pig brand.
- On March 26, 2018, eOne bought Round Room Entertainment, a live entertainment company.
- On April 9, 2018, eOne bought a 70% share in Whizz Kid Entertainment, a UK production company.
- On April 11, 2019, eOne bought Audio Network, a British company that creates music for films and TV.
- On July 11, 2019, eOne bought Daisybeck Studios, a British factual TV producer.
- On September 12, 2019, eOne bought Blackfin, a U.S. company that makes nonfiction content.
Sale to Hasbro
On August 22, 2019, Hasbro, a U.S. toy and media company, announced it would buy Entertainment One for $4 billion. Darren Throop, eOne's CEO, said that eOne's goals matched Hasbro's. He believed that being part of Hasbro would help eOne grow even more. The deal was approved by a court in Ontario, Canada. On December 30, 2019, the sale was completed, and eOne became a full part of Hasbro. Throop remained eOne's CEO.
After the purchase, eOne started developing and distributing content based on Hasbro's brands, like My Little Pony: Pony Life. The head of family brands, Olivier Dumont, explained that eOne would be the "content arm" and Hasbro would handle the "consumer products."
On February 10, 2021, eOne announced it would lay off 10% of its film and TV staff.
On April 26, 2021, eOne announced it would sell its music division to The Blackstone Group for $385 million. This sale was completed in June 2021, and the music division was renamed MNRK Music Group.
On June 29, 2022, it was reported that Entertainment One was closing its cinema distribution in Canada and Spain. Some staff in Canada were laid off. Entertainment One still buys films for other types of distribution in these areas.
On August 22, 2022, it was reported that Hasbro was looking to sell or change its media businesses. CEO Darren Throop announced he would leave at the end of the year.
Sale to Lionsgate
On November 17, 2022, Hasbro announced its plan to sell most of eOne's film and TV businesses. This was part of a plan to focus on its main brands. The sale did not include eOne's Family & Brands division. This division was moved into Hasbro's own business to create a new company called Hasbro Entertainment.
In March 2023, Deadline reported that Lionsgate, Fremantle, and Legendary Entertainment were interested in buying eOne. The next month, Fremantle dropped out. However, CVC Capital Partners and GoDigital Media Group also showed interest. On April 20, 2023, it was reported that Hasbro was talking with Darren Throop, who wanted to buy the company back with support from CVC Capital Partners.
In July 2023, Deadline reported that Lionsgate was a top choice to buy Entertainment One. Legendary Entertainment and GoDigital were still possible buyers. Darren Throop also tried to make another offer. In July 2023, it was reported that Entertainment One was closing its distribution in the UK. British staff were laid off as part of Hasbro's budget cuts.
On August 3, 2023, Hasbro announced it had agreed to sell eOne's entertainment businesses to Lionsgate for $500 million. Lionsgate would pay $375 million in cash and take on $125 million in production loans. The deal was completed on December 27, 2023.
What eOne Does
Films
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Trade name
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eOne Films |
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| Division | |
| Industry | Film production |
| Predecessor | Entertainment One Atlantis Films Momentum Pictures |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters |
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Canada
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Parent | Lionsgate Films |
The film part of eOne first focused on buying films to distribute around the world. Now, it also puts its efforts into making and funding its own films.
Entertainment One Films Ltd., known as eOne Films, started in 2007. It soon bought Séville Pictures from Montreal. In 2012, the company announced it would buy Alliance Films. This added the assets of Maple Pictures and Momentum Pictures to eOne's holdings. eOne also handled the distribution rights for films from Miramax and Dimension Films in Canada.
On May 8, 2015, eOne combined its film production and international sales teams into a new group called eOne Features. Their goal was to make and fund six to eight films each year. On December 16, 2015, eOne became an investor in Amblin Partners. This was a joint company with Steven Spielberg, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media, and Universal Pictures. One of the first films from this partnership was Eye in the Sky in 2015.
On September 23, 2016, Xavier Dolan's film Juste la fin du monde, distributed by eOne, was chosen to represent Canada at the 89th Academy Awards.
On January 8, 2019, Universal Pictures took over eOne's film distribution in Australia and New Zealand. eOne distributed Universal's Best Picture winner Green Book in 2019. eOne also distributed other award-winning films like Spotlight and 1917.
In 2020, eOne was the top film distributor in the UK. It held about 15.3% of the total market.
On December 27, 2023, eOne was split into three companies after Lionsgate bought it. eOne Films became one of these new companies.
Past Divisions
Television
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Formerly
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| Division | |
| Industry | Television production |
| Fate | Folded into Lionsgate Television |
| Predecessors |
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| Successor | Lionsgate Television |
| Founded | 1980 |
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| Defunct | 2024 |
| Headquarters |
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Canada
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Key people
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| Divisions | Barna-Alper Releasing |
eOne Television (which used to be Barna-Alper Productions) was a TV production company. It was started in 1980 by Laszlo Barna and Laura Alper in Toronto, Ontario. In April 2005, the company started its own distribution part called Barna-Alper Releasing. Entertainment One bought Barna-Alper Productions Inc., Blueprint Entertainment, and Oasis International in July 2008. This helped eOne make and distribute more TV shows. In January 2009, these companies were combined into E1 Television.
Some well-known TV shows that eOne and its related companies distributed or produced include Burden of Truth, Rookie Blue, Saving Hope, Bitten, The Book of Negroes, Criminal Minds, Designated Survivor, The Rookie, and The Walking Dead.
Entertainment One's TV businesses became part of Lionsgate Television in January 2024. They were replaced by eOne Canada and Lionsgate Alternative Television for making TV shows inside and outside Canada.
Family & Brands
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Formerly
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E1 Kids (2009–2010) Entertainment One Family (2010–2015) |
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| Industry | Television production |
| Fate | Folded into Hasbro Entertainment |
| Predecessor |
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| Successor | Hasbro Entertainment |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Defunct | August 16, 2023 |
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
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Key people
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Olivier Dumont (president) |
| Owner | Entertainment One (2009–2023) |
eOne's Family & Brands division focused on family-friendly content. This included creating, distributing, licensing, and marketing these brands. This division grew a lot thanks to sales, licensing deals, and selling shows to TV channels. In 2018, it made $202 million in revenue. Peppa Pig and PJ Masks alone brought in $114.9 million and $75.8 million, respectively. When Hasbro bought eOne, this division became part of Hasbro's own brand and licensing business.
Virtual Reality
After investing in the company in 2014, eOne bought Secret Location in 2016. This Toronto-based digital studio specializes in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality experiences. In 2015, Secret Location won an Emmy Award for its work on a VR experience for the TV show Sleepy Hollow. In 2020, the studio's first VR film, The Great C, won an award at the Cannes XR Film Festival. That same year, Secret Location won an award for media innovation from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
What eOne Produced
Films
- Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
- Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
- Just Getting Started (2017)
- Stan & Ollie (2018)
- Wild Rose (2019)
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
- Official Secrets (2019)
- Jexi (2019)
- Mary (2019)
- Midway (2019)
- Queen & Slim (2019)
- A Million Little Pieces (2019)
- Love and Monsters (2020)
- Happiest Season (2020)
- Awake (2021)
- Snake Eyes (2021)
- Blue Bayou (2021)
- Come from Away (2021)
- The Starling (2021)
- My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021)
- Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021)
- Deep Water (2022)
- All the Old Knives (2022)
- Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)
- Orphan: First Kill (2022)
- The Woman King (2022)
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
- The Creator (2023)
- Arthur the King (2024)
- Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (2024)
- Dust Bunny (To Be Announced)
- Untitled Clifford the Big Red Dog sequel (To Be Announced)
TV Series
Family & Brands
Virtual Reality Games
Below is a list of Secret Location VR games:
- The Great C
- Transpose
- Welcome to Wacken
- Blasters of the Universe
- Blasters of the Universe Infinity Forever
- Paranormal Pest Patrol
- NERF Ultimate Championship
Logos of eOne
The company's logo introduced in 2010 was created by a design firm in Toronto.
On September 8, 2015, Entertainment One showed a new version of its logo.
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Entertainment One (2010–2015)
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Entertainment One (2015–present, still used on eOne Films and eOne Canada)
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Alternative variant (2015–present)
