Hasbro Sells eOne to Lionsgate

Lionsgate is set to acquire Entertainment One (eOne) from Hasbro for $500 million.

The deal, subject to customary closing conditions, includes a payment of $375 million in cash and the assumption of production financing loans.

With the transaction, which does not include eOne’s kids and family segment, Lionsgate gains a library of some 6,500 film and television titles, including The Rookie franchise on ABC and Discovery’s Naked & Afraid, plus a film slate encompassing 1917 and development rights to Hasbro’s Monopoly.

“The acquisition of eOne checks off all the boxes in areas that play to our core strengths,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “It will be immediately and highly accretive, adds a world-class library with thousands of properties, strengthens our scripted and unscripted television business and continues to expand our presence in Canada and the U.K. The deal is the culmination of our long-standing relationship with the immensely talented team at eOne, and it continues to build our position as one of the world’s leading independent content platforms with a stockpile of great intellectual properties and a unique, non-replicable portfolio of assets.”