eOne: Fremantle, Lionsgate & Legendary In Pursuit Of Hasbro Company As Sale Process Enters Final Stage
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: Hasbro has narrowed down 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 1-2 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 reps for Hasbro said that the company has no update at this time; Fremantle, Lionsgate and Legendary had no comment.
We hear a round of presentations is scheduled for the upcoming week as potential buyers hone in their final pitches. According to sources, the process has been robust, with solid bids for the assets that have been put up for sale by the toymaker — all scripted and unscripted TV production (except for the Family Brands division housing such staples as Peppa Pig and PJ Mask), all film production and related global distribution, as well as a 6,500+ title content library and Hasbro’s interest in eOne’s Canadian film and TV business.
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