Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd.
Formerly called
 Records on Wheels Limited
ROW Entertainment Income Fund
Entertainment One Income Fund
E1 Entertainment
Public
Traded as LSE: ETO
Industry Music
Film
Television
Distribution
Music Publishing
Predecessor Alliance Films
Founded 1973
Founder Darren Throop
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Key people
 James Corsellis
(Non-Executive Chairman)
Darren Throop
(Chief Executive Officer)
Revenue £819.6 million (2014)[1]
£92.3 million (2014)[1]
£19.7 million (2014)[1]
Owner Marwyn Value Investors LLP (27.0%)
M&G Investment Management (8.1%)
Capital Group Companies (5.5%)
Fidelity (4.1%)
(remaining 55.3% ownership interest is publicly traded)[2]
Divisions
Subsidiaries
Slogan A Leading International Entertainment and Content Distribution Business
Website entertainmentone.com

Entertainment One Ltd., also known as eOne, is an international entertainment corporation operating in Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Benelux, Spain, France, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa, and South Korea.[3] It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

eOne began operations in 1973 in Ontario, Canada, as Records on Wheels (ROW) Limited, founded and operated by Vito Ierullo and Don Ierullo, focusing on retail sales of recorded music. In the late 1970s, ROW, Ltd. began to distribute recorded music for third-party retailers in Canada. For more than 20 years, entertainment content distribution became the company’s primary focus as the company expanded into video, purchasing one of Canada’s largest home entertainment distributors, Video One Canada, Ltd., from its then-parent, Standard Broadcasting Corporation Ltd. In November 2003, the company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange as ROW Entertainment Income Fund. It changed its name to Entertainment One Income Fund. The role of Chief Executive Officer of Entertainment One Income Fund was given to the current CEO of eOne by Vito Ierullo, the President of the company.[4]

In June 2005, Entertainment One Income Fund acquired Koch Entertainment,[5] North America’s largest independent music label and a large U.S. distributor of home-entertainment products. The combined company, renamed Entertainment One, had a comprehensive U.S.-Canadian distribution network and began acquiring rights for specialty content. In 2007, in a move to fund expansion into independent, feature-film distribution and rights ownership, eOne's investors accepted a public equity takeover by a unit of UK-based Marwyn Investment Management valued at $188 million and listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market.[6]

In 2007, the firm acquired Montreal-based film distributor Seville Pictures and UK distributor Contender Entertainment.[7] The same year, the company secured its first film output agreement with Summit Entertainment – a deal which included the future cinematic and home-video Twilight film series (a teen romance about vampires based on a best-selling book of the same name).[8] Acquisitions continued in 2008 with the purchase of the Benelux distributor RCV Entertainment. The same year, eOne created its television arm, purchasing production companies Blueprint and Barna-Alper and international television distributor Oasis International.[9]

On May 28, 2012, the firm placed a bid to purchase Alliance Films from Goldman Sachs Group and Investissement Quebec, similar to the purchase of Maple Pictures a year prior.[10][11]

On January 9, 2013, the firm completed the transaction of Alliance Films for $225 million. With this deal, eOne will distribute titles from The Weinstein Company and Lionsgate Films as well as Summit Entertainment, and Focus Features in Canada.[12]

On June 2, 2014, the firm acquired Phase 4 Films.[13] As part of the deal, eOne has placed Phase 4 president and CEO Berry Meyerowitz at the helm of its U.S. film and distribution business. Sean Monson and David Richardson are also joining eOne from Phase 4. The deal also includes kaboom! Entertainment, Phase 4’s dedicated kids and family label.

On July 17, the company acquired Paperny Entertainment.[14][15] Based in Vancouver with operations in Toronto and New York, Paperny Entertainment has produced over 500 hours of television since its inception in 1994.

On August 28, 2014, the firm acquired Vancouver-based Force Four Entertainment, The deal on an existing relationship between the two companies, Force Four partners Rob Bromley, John Richie and Gillian Lowrey will all join the firm as part of the deal. Bromley oversees the business side of Force Four’s slate, while Richie specializes in broadcaster liaisons and creative management and Lowrey is in charge of finance and business affairs.[16]

In January 2015, Entertainment One announced it was buying a majority stake in The Mark Gordon Company (MGC), paying $132.6 million for a 51% stake.[17]

eOne Films

eOne Films acquires film content rights and distributes these across multiple territories including Canada, the UK, the Benelux and the United States. Distribution channels include theatrical distribution, home entertainment through DVD/Blu-ray rental and retail, television, and digital downloading service.

eOne Television

eOne Television is a television content business with production, international sales, licensing and merchandising capabilities in Canada and the UK. In Canada, it sells and distributes both its own productions and third party catalogues to over 500 broadcasters in 150 countries, including the major U.S. networks, Canadian broadcasters and international pay TV providers. With offices in Toronto, LA and London, it is involved in the creation, production and international distribution of TV content across all genres. eOne has recently made deals with major broadcasters in the U.S. and around the world with series such as Hung for HBO,[18] The Firm on NBC, Mary Mary on WeTV, The Bridge, currently airing on CTV,[19] Rookie Blue currently airing on ABC and Global,[20] Haven currently airing on Syfy,[21] and Hell on Wheels currently airing on AMC.

eOne Music

Based in New York City, eOne Music, formerly E1 Music/Koch Records, is generally regarded as the largest independent music label in North America.[22] Since its inception as Koch Records, eOne Music has charted over 100 albums on Billboard's Independent Chart, surpassing the number of titles charted by all other U.S. independent labels and was the number one independent label according to Billboard for four consecutive years. The music division covers all musical genres from adult-contemporary to rock, urban to country, children's to classical.

eOne Family

In the UK, eOne Family (formerly E1 Kids) creates, produces and distributes children’s entertainment with partners including Nick Jr and Channel 5, in 190 territories including the U.S., Scandinavia, France and Germany. eOne Family’s Peppa Pig franchise is one on the most popular pre-school brands in the UK, surpassing over £100 million in retail sales in the 2009 financial period.[23]

eOne Distribution

eOne Distribution division delivers, through both physical and digital channels, eOne’s own and third party content to over 3,000 retail partners through its networks across Canada and the U.S.[24] The division provides distribution services to a wide range of content producers, including the major Hollywood studios.

The division manufactures several independent and major studios home media releases in all of Canada except Quebec where they operate as eOne Distribution Canada and in Quebec as Vidéoglobe1, including: Anchor Bay Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, VVS Films, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Phase 4 Films and Sony Pictures.

In the United States, they operate as eOne Distribution US and manufacturers titles for their own studio as well as the Cohen Media Group.

Partners

Through various deals and terms, eOne has a distribution deal with the following companies, whether in full or in part:

Film

Television

Recent/Upcoming Releases

Films

This is an incomplete list that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

TV series

Kids/Family

Acquisitions and targets

Since listing on AIM, eOne has made a series of acquisitions.

  • In June 2007, eOne acquired Contender Entertainment Group, one of the largest distributors of TV content in the UK[27] (now operates as eOne UK)
  • In August 2007, eOne acquired Seville Entertainment Inc. for an undisclosed sum[28] (now operates as Les Films Séville)
  • In January 2008, eOne acquired the Netherlands-based distributor RCV Entertainment[29] (now operates as eOne Benelux)
  • In July 2008, eOne acquired TV producers Blueprint Entertainment and Barna-Alper Productions as well as domestic distributors Oasis International and Maximum Films.[30] (Barna-Alpha now operating as eOne Television, Maximum Films amalgamated into eOne Films Canada while Maximum Film International was amalgamated into Les Films Séville, all others closed)
  • In April 2011, eOne acquired Australian distribution company Hopscotch for £12.9 million.[31] (now operates as eOne Australia)
  • In January 2013 eOne acquired Alliance Films.[32] and ceased operation of it and its subsidiaries (Momentum Pictures and Maple Pictures, excpet for Aurum Producciones, now operating as eOne Spain)
  • In June 2014 eOne acquired Phase 4 Films.[13]
  • In July 2014, eOne acquired Paperny Entertainment.[14][15]
  • In August 2014, eOne acquired Force Four Entertainment.[16]

Former Names and Logos

  • Records On Wheels Limited (1970-1980)

  • ROW Entertainment (1980–2005)

  • Entertainment One Income Fund (2005-2009)

  • E1 Entertainment (2009-2010)

  • Entertainment One (2010–present)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Annual Report for 2014". Entertainment One. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  2. ↑ "Entertainment One - Entertainment One Shareholder Information". entertainmentone. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  3. ↑ "Entertainment One - Entertainment One Investors Homepage". Ir.entertainmentonegroup.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  4. ↑ "Entertainment One - Entertainment One Investors Homepage". Ir.entertainmentonegroup.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  5. ↑ "CIMA: ROW Entertainment Buys KOCH Entertainment". Cimamusic.ca. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  6. ↑ "Entertainment One accepts Marwyn takeover". The Globe and Mail. TheGlobeandMail.com. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
  7. ↑ "Canada's Entertainment One buys Seville Entertainment". Screen Daily. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Summit signs Canada, UK deal with Entertainment One". Screen Daily. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Entertainment One Acquires Barna-Alper Productions, Blueprint Entertainment, Oasis Pictures, Maximum Film Distribution and Maximum Film International". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "EOne confirms talks to buy Alliance Films". thestar.com. 2012-05-28. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  11. ↑ "ENTERTAINMENT ONE INCOME FUND | Entertainment One announces closing of the sale of all operations". Newswire.ca. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  12. ↑ "Entertainment One buys Alliance Films". The Guardian. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "eOne acquires Phase 4 Films". Deadline. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Acquisition of Paperny Entertainment". July 17, 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Completion of Paperny Entertainment acquisition". August 1, 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Bailey, Katie (August 28, 2014). "eOne acquires Force Four Entertainment". Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  17. ↑ "Entertainment One buys stake in 'Grey's Anatomy' producer MGC". Reuters. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  18. ↑ "E1 Entertainment | HBO and Entertainment One get 'HUNG' up together". Newswire.ca. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  19. ↑ "CTV | CTV's THE BRIDGE Picked Up by CBS for U.S. Broadcast". Newswire.ca. 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  20. ↑ "Rookie Blue | TV, eh?". Tv-eh.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  21. ↑ "SyFy picks up Stephen King series 'Haven'". BennyLabamba.com. 2009-11-30.
  22. ↑ "Entertainment One : About". Kochrecords.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  23. ↑ "Peppa Pig Tops £100 Million - License". Licensemag.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  24. ↑ e1 music news
  25. ↑ Skywire Ltd, Kings House, 5-11 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 4UA. T: 020 7229 0202. "UK Film release schedule - past, present and future". launchingfilms.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "Mr. Turner". film4.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  27. ↑ Mitchell, Wendy (2007-06-14). "Entertainment One to acquire UK's Contender in $97m deal | News | Screen". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  28. ↑ Seville Entertainment
  29. ↑ "Canada's Entertainment One to acquire RCV in Benelux". Screendaily.com. 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  30. ↑ Playback on-line
  31. ↑ Swift, Brendan (April 12, 2011). "Entertainment One buys local distributor Hopscotch for $20.07m". if.com.au. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Industry News: Entertainment One Acquires Alliance Films". Retrieved 2013-01-22.

External links