As of March 16, 2023, the petition to #SaveHanazuki has reached 2,698 signatures and we're almost to 2,700, putting our efforts to Save Hanazuki on a upward path towards the new goal. and as we are ready for Spring, We are unexpectedly seeing Hasbro confirming the sale of Entertainment One to the highest bidder soon, as UK-based Fremantle, Canada-based Lionsgate and our country's own Legendary Entertainment are poised to be either of the new owner for the eOne company.
The article from Deadline reads as follows:
Hasbro has narrowed the field for its eOne subsidiary to a handful of suitors, sources tell Deadline. We hear fellow indie studios Lionsgate, Fremantle and Legendary (with Apollo) are in the running to acquire a majority stake in eOne.
We hear there also may be one or two additional bids from private equity players; Hasbro previously sold eOne’s music business to private equity firm Blackstone in 2021 for $385 million. (Blackstone and company-backed Candle Media are not believed to be in the mix for eOne.) A rep for Hasbro said the company has no update at this time; Fremantle, Lionsgate and Legendary had no comment.
A round of presentations is scheduled for the upcoming week as potential buyers home in their final pitches, we hear. According to sources, the process has been robust, with solid bids for the assets that have been put up for sale by the toymaker that include all scripted and unscripted TV production (except for the Family Brands division housing such staples), all film production and related global distribution, as well as a 6,500-plus title content library and Hasbro’s interest in eOne’s Canadian film and TV business.
Last month, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks sounded bullish in his comments on the proceedings, which the company kicked off in November when it announced its plan to sell eOne.
“Our sales process for the majority of eOne Film and TV is well under way, with strong interest in these valuable assets,” he said.
While the process is very active and some sources are hinting a decision could come as early as end of this month, others are more cautious, pointing to a longer final stretch. That also was the time frame Cocks provided last month.
“We expect to have an update in the second quarter,” he said.
That would push the sale past the March 31 release of one of eOne’s biggest film efforts ever, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (co-produced and co-financed with Paramount), which is getting promising early feedback and facing lofty box office expectations. Meanwhile, eOne’s high-profile Dungeons & Dragons live-action TV series recently landed a Paramount+ series order. It is unclear how involved eOne will be in Hasbro IP-driven projects after the sale.
Hasbro bought eOne in 2019 for $4 billion when the company was divided into three divisions: Music, which has been sold; Family Brands, which Hasbro has rolled into its brands licensing and merchandising operation; and Film and TV.
A possible acquisition by Fremantle, Lionsgate or Legendary would fit into each of these companies’ ongoing efforts to scale up.
So that's it for tonight, Moonflowers! If you want to read this for yourself, here is the full article here:
https://deadline.com/2023/03/eone-sale-fremantle-lionsgate-legendary-acquisition-hasbro-1235299956/
Catch you next time and May the Moonflower Moods shine upon us all!
#SaveHanazuki #Hanazuki #HanazukiFullofTreasures #Hasbro #eOne #EntertainmentOne