Lionsgate’s US$375 million acquisition of Entertainment One (eOne) has already proven to be lucrative for the U.S. studio and the Canadian division, rebranded in June as Lionsgate Canada.

The transaction with Hasbro closed on Dec. 27, 2023, with Lionsgate also assuming production financing loans. While Hasbro retained rights to hit kids IP like Peppa Pig, the price point was a fraction of the US$3.8 billion the company paid out for eOne back in 2019. Lionsgate came out of the deal with eOne’s film and TV library and a stake in the Canadian business.

While the transaction itself may have happened in 2023, the impact of the deal became clear this past year. Kevin Beggs (pictured right), chair and chief creative officer of Lionsgate Television Group, tells Playback the teams have been fully integrated within the last 12 months.

In its Q2 2025 earnings call, CFO James Barge told investors that eOne has become a “great asset” for the company. Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution, singled out ABC’s The Rookie as a long-term asset that Lionsgate is already seeing returns on. Beggs says Lionsgate was in production on a seventh season for The Rookie at press time.

“We have a lot of aspirations around expanding the brand in partnership with ABC,” he says. “It’s a beloved franchise for them. It was sold very well around the world but, in our hands, I think we’ll do even better.”

A stronger asset library is proving to be a boon for Lionsgate following a disappointing Q2, attributed to low box office returns and higher production costs. The company reported US$892 million in trailing 12-month library revenue, up 3% year-over-year. Beggs says the deal has also brought certain Lionsgate assets like The Hunger Games and Twilight franchises back into the fold after Canadian rights were sold to Alliance Films (and later acquired by eOne).

While U.S. shows like The Rookie and Showtime’s Yellowjackets have been touted as standouts for the company, the Canadian library is proving lucrative as well. Jocelyn Hamilton, Lionsgate Canada’s president, television, says the Lionsgate distribution team helped sell the 2017 series Ransom to Netflix. The drama spent two weeks in Netflix Canada’s top 10 list for TV series following its three-season drop on Nov. 1.

Hamilton (pictured left) says she is working closely with Susan Hummel, EVP and managing director, distribution and ventures, on an expanded distribution strategy. And opportunities are already opening up, thanks to the pilot Distributor Program launched by the Canada Media Fund this year, which will allow a Canadian distributor to trigger production funding.

“New things are happening that will help us grow the industry, and we want to be at the forefront of that as Lionsgate Canada,” says Hamilton.

On the production front, the Lionsgate Canada team has moved forward on two series for Hallmark+ in that time with Mistletoe Murders and Ripple. Lionsgate Canada partnered with Headspinner Productions for Mistletoe Murders, based on the Audible podcast of the same name, which premiered on the W Network in Canada and Hallmark+ in the U.S. this fall.

Both projects were created by Headspinner’s chief creative officer Ken Cuperus, who served as showrunner on the series. Hamilton says the Lionsgate Canada team was excited to tackle a project with an established fanbase and build on their “podcast to broadcast” strategy following the success of Crave docuseries Thunder Bay, adapted from the original Canadaland podcast.

Hamilton is an executive producer on Lionsgate Television’s Ripple, which went to camera in Toronto in September. The 8 x 60-minute drama follows four different people living in New York City and the unexpected connections they have to one another.

While the creator (Michele Giannusa) and showrunner (Joni Lefkowitz) are based in the U.S., British-Canadian actor Amanda Tapping is on board as a director and executive producer.

“[Hallmark] is taking a bit of a risk because it’s a real drama in the vein of This Is Us meets Serendipity,” says Hamilton.

While Lionsgate has opened more connections to potential partners, Hamilton says they’re still working on projects with Canadian broadcasters. One yet to be announced title is in the writing stage and expected to go to camera in western Canada next year, and the company has other projects in development with various Canadian partners.

“We’re bringing Canadian talent to the world, which has always been our strategy, but with Lionsgate Canada we have an even bigger opportunity,” she says.

Top photo by Raymond Liu/Disney

This story originally appeared in Playback‘s 2024 Winter issue