Entertainment One
 | |
| Public | |
| Traded as | LSE: ETO |
| Industry |
Music Film Television Distribution Music Publishing |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Darren Throop |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Key people |
Allan Leighton (Non-Executive Director and Chairman) Darren Throop (Chief Executive Officer) |
| Revenue | £785.8 million (2015)[1] |
| £60.2 million (2015)[1] | |
| £41.3 million (2015)[1] | |
| Owner |
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (19.8%) Capital Research & Management (10.8%) M&G Investment Management (7.1%) Standard Life Investments (5.8%)[2] (remaining 56.5% publicly traded) |
| Divisions | |
| Subsidiaries |
Subsidiaries
|
| Slogan | A Leading International Entertainment and Content Distribution Business |
| Website |
entertainmentone |
Entertainment One Ltd., also known as eOne, is an international media corporation operating in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.[4] It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Entertainment One specialises in the acquisition, production, and distribution of film and television content. Its business divisions encompass film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
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.[5]
In June 2005, Entertainment One Income Fund acquired Koch Entertainment,[6] 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.[7]
In 2007, the firm acquired Montreal-based film distributor Seville Pictures and UK distributor Contender Entertainment.[8] 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).[9] 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.[10]
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.[11][12]
On January 9, 2013, the firm completed the transaction of Alliance Films for $225 million. With this deal, eOne will distribute titles from Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Weinstein Company and Lionsgate Films as well as Summit Entertainment, and Focus Features in Canada.[13]
On May 28, 2014, eOne announced a strategic investment in interactive agency Secret Location. The deal allowed eOne to broaden its digital offerings, while Secret Location would continue to operate independently under the leadership of James Milward (President, Executive Producer and Founder), and partners Pietro Gagliano (Creative Director and SVP) and Ryan Andal (Technical Director and SVP).[14]
On June 2, 2014, the firm acquired Phase 4 Films.[15] 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.[16][17] 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 expanded on an existing relationship between the two companies, Force Four partners Rob Bromley, John Richie and Gillian Lowrey all joined 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.[18]
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.[19]
On September 9, 2015, eOne launched Momentum Pictures as a global digital and multiplatform distribution label, and announced a multipicture deal with Orion Releasing. Momentum Pictures is led by President Berry Meyerowitz (who joined the firm with its 2014 acquisition of Phase 4 Films).[20]
On September 30, 2015, eOne announced that it has acquired Astley Baker Davies thus increasing it's ownership in the preschool franchise Peppa Pig. The firm entered into an agreement with Peppa Pig co-owners Astley Baker Davies to purchase a controlling stake in the company.[21]
On January 7, 2016, Entertainment One made a strategic investment in Sierra Pictures[22] and on January 20, 2016, the company acquired Dualtone Music Group.[23]
eOne Films
eOne Films acquires film content rights and distributes these across multiple territories including Canada, the UK, Spin, the Benelux, Austalia, New Zealand and the United States. Distribution channels include theatrical distribution, home entertainment through DVD/Blu-ray rental and retail, television, and digital downloading service.
eOne’s Global Film Group is led by President Steve Bertram, who is based in Los Angeles.
In May 2015, Entertainment One consolidated its feature film creative development, production, and international sales activities under the new banner Entertainment One Features (eOne Features). The division aims to produce and fully finance six to eight films annually, in addition to its existing territorial acquisitions. The division also includes a boutique sales outfit, Seville International, which is based in Montreal. eOne Features is led by President Xavier Marchand, who reports to Steve Bertram.
eOne Television
Notable Entertainment One television productions include: Hung for HBO,[24] Mary Mary on WeTV, Call Me Fitz on DirecTV, The Bridge on CTV,[25] Rookie Blue on ABC and Global,[26] Haven on Syfy,[27] and Hell on Wheels on AMC, David Spade’s Fameless on TruTV, Nellyville on BET, Rogue on DirecTV, The Book of Negroes miniseries on CBC and BET, Saving Hope on CTV and iOn, and Bitten on Space and SyFy.
Entertainment One’s sales catalogue includes such series as: David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef; A&E’s The Enfield Haunting; and AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire, The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, due to a 2013 multi-year international output deal agreement between the firm and AMC Networks and Sundance Channel.[28]
eOne’s Television division is led by Chief Executive Officer John Morayniss, based in Los Angeles.
eOne Music
Based in New York City and Nashville, eOne Music US, formerly E1 Music/Koch Records, is generally regarded as the largest independent music label in North America.[29] Since its inception as Koch Records, eOne Music US 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 Music Canada is a full service record label and distribution company, with its own in-house marketing and publicity team and a sales staff across the country. Artist roster includes Emilie-Claire Barlow, Jason Blaine, Die Mannequin, Matt Dusk, and 2015 Polaris Music Prize winner Buffy Sainte-Marie.
eOne Family & Licensing
Based in the UK and Canada, 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 of the most popular pre-school brands in the UK, surpassing over £100 million in retail sales in the 2009 financial period.[30]
On September 18, 2015, eOne Family’s newest preschool series, PJ Masks, premiered on Disney Channel and Disney Junior in the U.S.[31]
eOne’s Licensing division, based in the UK and Los Angeles and extending to New York and Hong Kong, promotes brands across multiple platforms, reaching all demographics. eOne Licensing manages a full spectrum of branded opportunities at every stage, from product development to launch, through continual brand innovation. eOne’s Family and Licensing divisions are led by Managing Director Olivier Dumont, based in London.
eOne Distribution
eOne's 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.[32] The division provides distribution services to a wide range of content producers, including some major Hollywood studios.
The division manufactures and distributes home media releases in the US, Canada, and Quebec, operating as eOne Distribution US, eOne Distribution Canada, and Videoglobe1, respectively.
Partners
Through various deals and terms, eOne has a distribution deal with the following companies, whether in full or in part:
Film
- AutoMatik
- CBS Films
- Columbia Pictures
- DreamWorks Pictures
- Exclusive Media
(all titles except End of Watch, released by VVS Films) - FilmNation Entertainment
(most titles, limited released by VVS Films) - Universal Pictures (some releases)
- Focus Features
- FilmDistrict (now known as Focus World)
- IM Global
(most titles, limited released by VVS Films) - Lakeshore Entertainment
- Lionsgate
- Touchstone Pictures
- Rhombus
- StudioCanal
- The Weinstein Company
- Tristar Pictures
- SinemArt
- Wrekin Hill Entertainment
Television
- A+E Networks
- AMC Networks
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- APTN
- AXN
- BBC
- Bell Media
- The Comedy Network
- CTV
- HBO Canada (50% share with Corus)
- The Movie Network
- Space
- Blue Ant Media
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- CBS Corporation
- Channel 4
- Corus Entertainment
- Discovery Communications
- Disney Media Networks
- El Rey Network
- Epix
- Fox Entertainment Group
- Hallmark Channel
- Hoodwink Entertainment
- Time Warner
- Knightscove Entertainment
- MAVTV
- NBCUniversal
- Out of Africa Entertainment
- Rogers Media
- Scripps Networks Interactive
- Shaw Media
- Starz
- Super Channel
- TM International
- TVOntario
- Up TV
- Viacom
Recent/upcoming releases
Films
- This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
