London — Mayer Brown has advised Entertainment One (eOne) on its sale to Hasbro, Inc for approximately US$4 billion (£3.3 billion) to be implemented by way of a Canadian court approved plan of arrangement.
eOne is a global independent studio that specialises in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content, with key brands such as Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, alongside its television, film and music business. Hasbro is a major global play and entertainment company, which includes the creation of toys and games, television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products for brands such as Nerf, My Little Pony, Transformers, Monopoly and Power Rangers.
Mayer Brown has a long-standing relationship with eOne, having advised the company for more than 14 years on a variety of matters including its acquisition of the rights to childrens’ television show Peppa Pig and its premium listing on the London Stock Exchange.
The Mayer Brown team was led by London Corporate & Securities partners Rob Hamill and Rebecca Bothamley and included: Corporate & Securities — partner Kate Ball-Dodd, senior associate Harriet Hainsworth (all London); Tax Transactions & Consulting — senior associate Kitty Swanson (London); Employment & Benefits — consultant Andrew Stanger (London); Antitrust & Competition — partner Julian Ellison and associate Philipp Studt-Tartorotti (both Brussels); Banking & Finance — partner Adam Wolk (New York).
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP acted alongside Mayer Brown as Canadian legal advisors to eOne on the transaction, led by Corporate partners Emmanuel Pressman and Alex Gorka.