Hasbro restructures, plans for future

With a focus on CP, digital gaming and entertainment, the company plans to have three films and four TV shows based on Hasbro brands in the market by 2023.
February 26, 2021

As part of its first-ever virtual investor event, Hasbro laid out its future content plans and announced a restructuring of its financial reporting segments.

The company will now be divided into three business units—consumer products, Wizards of the Coast (which includes Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons) and digital gaming, and entertainment—which it will begin using for its Q1 report in April. Hasbro’s previous structure had segments focused on franchise brands, partner brands, gaming, emerging brands and TV/film/entertainment, and that’s how it reported its fiscal 2020 financial results.

On the brand-based entertainment front, Hasbro is planning to produce two to three major motion pictures and three to four TV shows by 2023. It currently has more than 200 film and TV projects spanning 30 Hasbro brands in development. Some of this content includes a just-announced Transformers series and My Little Pony TV series and movie (pictured) with Netflix, plus another new Transformers series in development with Nickelodeon. And Disney+ has picked up Kiya, eOne’s new CG-animated preschool co-pro with Triggerfish Animation.

To keep its brands fresh through 2023, Hasbro is planning a new Transformers feature film for next year; working on an animated series for Netflix and a movie with Fox based on Magic: The Gathering; and gearing up on new Peppa Pig and PJ Masks content.

In consumer products news, Hasbro is aiming to get back into the black after an 8% revenue decline for fiscal 2020 and a 36% drop in net earnings. The company expects its revenue to grow by mid-single digits in 2021. It plans to be doing 50% of its CP business via e-commerce by 2025, and has launched DTC platform Hasbro Pulse in the UK to push this shift along. Rollouts in additional regions will undoubtedly follow.

For the preschool market, Hasbro is creating new lines for Peppa Pig and PJ Masks that will launch in the back half of 2021. And the company has teamed up with Amazon on its Playskool preschool products to focus on learning and sustainability.

Hasbro will extend its partnership with Epic Games for more Fortnite products, and is planning ranges connected to big theatrical and streaming releases for Ghostbusters, Marvel, Star Wars and Disney Princesses.

About The Author
Alexandra Whyte is Kidscreen's News & Social Media Editor. Contact her at awhyte@brunico.com

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