Hasbro Completes eOne Acquisition

The Transformers and My Little Pony officially share a home with Peppa Pig and the PJ Masks.

Hasbro Inc. completed its previously announced acquisition of Entertainment One Ltd. (eOne) following the customary regulatory hurdles. The all-cash transaction is valued at approximately $3.8 billion.

“We are excited about what we can do together and see tremendous opportunity for shareholder value creation through this acquisition,” says Brian Goldner, Hasbro chairman and CEO. “Our businesses are highly complementary with substantial synergies and a great cultural fit. The addition of eOne accelerates our blueprint strategy by expanding our brand portfolio with eOne’s beloved global preschool brands, adding proven TV and film expertise, and creating additional opportunities for long-term profitable growth. We are pleased to welcome the incredibly talented eOne team to our company.”

Darren Throop, president and CEO of eOne, will report to Goldner.

Additionally, eOne’s Olivier Dumont, president of family and brands; Steve Bertram, president of film and television; and Chris Taylor, global president of music, will join Hasbro, reporting to Throop.

Hasbro recently hit a few bumps in the third quarter as it faced challenges relating to the on-again-off-again threat of tariffs on toys. The tariffs, which were set to go into effect on Dec. 15, were ultimately called off.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.