eOne ups TV output

Canadian studio Entertainment One (eOne) saw its television production arm increase its output by 89% in the first six months of this financial year, buoyed by series including Rookie Blue and The Walking Dead.

EOne produced 138 half-hours of television in the six months to September 30, compared with 78 for the same period last year.

Its successes include HBO Canada’s Call Me Fitz, ABC’s Rookie Blue, AMC’s Hell on Wheels and new medical drama Saving Hope, which has been renewed for a second season by CTV.

Haven has now been renewed for a fourth season by Syfy, while the first episode of new reality series Sugar Stars debuted on Food Network in the US. In addition, AMC’s third-season premiere of The Walking Dead was the most-watched drama screening on US cable, ever with more than 10 million viewers.

EOne now expects its number of delivered half-hours to double by the end of the year to about 270.

New series coming up include DirecTV’s first original drama Rogue and fourth seasons of Call Me Fitz and Rookie Blue.

It is also developing Black Jack from creator Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) and two projects written by the late filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, Downslope and God Fearing Man.

EOne’s hit kids property Peppa Pig also continues to do strong business overseas, with new deals in Latin America and Mexico alongside broadcast agreements throughout Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Other shows picking up sales include Holly’s Little Kingdom, Tractor Tom and Humf.

Overall, eOne today reported revenue of £220.5m (US$350.1m) for the six months to September 30, up from £204.6m for the same period last year.

In particular, its television division saw revenue up 70% year-on-year to £59.1m, while investment in content grew by 17% to £48.4m.

However, pre-tax profit fell from £9.8m to £1m year-on-year.

This profit drop was attributed to “the timing of increased investment, which has increased printing and advertising costs up 30% in the first half, and the phasing of revenue from LoveFilm in the UK, which was weighted more heavily to the first half in the prior year,” eOne said, adding that full year earnings remain in line with management expectations of year-on-year profit growth.

EOne also said its takeover of Alliance Films is due to be completed in early 2013.