Entertainment One Regulatory News (ETO)

Entertainment One Ltd.

Trading Update

for the nine months ended 31 December 2014

Strong performance AHEAD OF MANAGEMENT EXPECTATIONS

Financial results are stated on a pro forma/constant currency basis including the results of Phase 4 Films, Paperny Entertainment and Force Four Entertainment, which were acquired on 3 June 2014, 31 July 2014 and 28 August 2014, respectively, as if those businesses had been acquired on the first day of the comparative period.

STRATEGY

Entertainment One recently set out its updated growth strategy which aims to double the earnings of the Group within the next five years. The Group's focus is 'to bring the best content to the world' by being:

· a true partner to the world's best creative talent; and

· a leading distributor through a locally-deep, globally-connected network.

The successful execution of the strategy will drive growth across both divisions, particularly in Television where structural change within the industry is creating significant opportunities for the Group.

The Group has made excellent strategic progress, with a number of important milestones already achieved. Most recently, on 6 January 2015, the Group announced the acquisition of a 51% stake in The Mark Gordon Company ('MGC') for a consideration of US$132.6 million. This represents a transformational opportunity for the Group as it is now partnered with one of the best creative talents in the world's most important and valuable content market, the United States.

The partnership creates a new film and television studio joint venture which will be funded through existing MGC cash flows from a valuable content library including 40 films and 650 television episodes, including hit shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Criminal Minds. MGC will become a platform for new partnerships, attracted by the reputation, track record and production expertise of the Mark Gordon team. As part of this deal all future programming rights from MGC will be distributed under an exclusive agreement by eOne's international television sales business. MGC recently received two new series pilot orders including Quantico, a new action drama, from ABC Studios.

FILM

Film revenues were 13.5% lower than the same period last year driven primarily by lower theatrical activity and the anticipated decline in home entertainment. Against the backdrop of the weaker global box office the Group has continued to manage its release slate and the associated print and advertising and operational costs carefully, helping deliver improved gross margin % and maintain underlying EBITDA in line with management expectations.

In the nine month period to 31 December 2014, the Group released 191 films (2014: 220), generating box office receipts of US$255 million (2014: US$380 million), including The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Mr Turner, Nativity 3, The Water Diviner, Nightcrawler and The Theory of Everything. Looking ahead, the Group anticipates around 220 releases for the current financial year with the slate for the final quarter featuring titles such as Paddington, Foxcatcher, Insurgent and Suite Française.

The Group's film slate for the 2016 financial year continues to look strong and management anticipates benefiting not only from this, but also from a more sustained improvement in the global box office over the next 18 months.

The Group's Film Production activities continue to progress, with Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death  generating a global box office of $36 million to date since its release on 2 January 2015. Suite Française will be released in Spring 2015, followed by Insidious: Chapter 3, Sinister 2 and Eye in the Sky, which are all in post-production.

TELEVISION

Production and International Sales

Continuing the momentum from the first six months of the year, the Group's Television Production and International Sales business has maintained its strong performance. Revenues were 22.9% higher than the same period in the prior year, driven by increased production volumes and more programme sales to international broadcasters and digital platforms such as Amazon and Netflix.

The Production business delivered 306 half hours during the period (2014: 281 half hours) and expects to deliver in excess of 550 half hours in this financial year. The Group's most recent scripted mini-series The Book of Negroes started its broadcast run in Canada on CBC in January this year, with the highest audience ratings for a series premiere since 1990 for the network. These strong ratings will further support the production's US debut on the BET network later this year.

The recent strategy update highlighted the Group's focus on partnering with the best creative talent. In 2014, the Television business and IDW Entertainment entered into a partnership to co-develop, co-fund and co-produce television series based on IDW's extensive library of over 300 original comic book and graphic novel properties. The first project has since been announced, a conspiracy thriller entitled COBB based on the comic book secret agent, Frank Cobb. Television also announced a deal with Take The Shot Productions to co-produce a television series adaptation of Caught (based on author Lisa Moore's best-selling novel) for CBC.

The Group's international sales operation reaches over 500 broadcasters in 150 territories, making it one of the leading television distribution networks worldwide. This reach and scale has been a key factor in enabling the Group to secure some of the world's best content for its sales operation. Landmark television shows include David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef and AMC's The Making of the Mob: New York.

In addition, Television recently signed a multi-year television sales agreement with Amazon Prime Instant Video for the UK and Germany. Amazon Prime subscribers in the UK and Germany will have first run access to a portfolio of original scripted series from AMC and Sundance TV, for which eOne manages international distribution on an exclusive basis. As well as shows such as Turn, The Red Road and Halt and Catch Fire (all of which have been re-commissioned for second series), the agreement also covers new AMC shows such as martial arts drama Badlands.

Family

The Family business performed significantly ahead of expectations. Revenues for the nine months to 31 December 2014 doubled, delivering significant underlying EBITDA growth.

The Christmas period saw very strong retail sales for Peppa Pig in all territories. In the US, Peppa Pig products will be sold in Walmart stores for the first time from Spring 2015 onwards, to be followed by sales in Target stores later in the year. In South East Asia, initial launches of the brand in territories such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore have been strong, providing a platform to launch over the coming year into other territories in the region, such as China, Japan and South Korea.

During the course of the year, Family has been rolling out the brand to new territories such as Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Russia where broadcast deals with the leading children's channels have supported merchandising programmes. In addition to Peppa Pig, other Family brands have performed well over the period. Following strong demand across all categories, the new toy ranges for Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom sold well in the UK over the Christmas period, and there is a high level of retail confidence for the rest of the year. The brand was launched into new European markets including Italy and Spain, generating solid demand. Germany and the Benelux region will follow later this year.

Digital

The Group's joint venture partner Secret Location recently announced the launch of Whatever, Linda, its first ten episode original scripted entertainment production. In addition, the Group signed a multi-year output deal with YouTube singing phenomenon Cimorelli, aimed at creating and distributing original content in all filmed entertainment media. 

FINANCING

Adjusted net debt at the end of the period was higher than in the comparable period in the prior year. This is primarily due to the acquisitions made during the period, which included Paperny Entertainment, Force Four Entertainment, Phase 4 Films and the Group's strategic investment in digital content company Secret Location.

Following the end of the period to 31 December 2014, the Group increased its debt facility to finance the acquisition of its stake in MGC, however, management anticipate that pro forma adjusted net debt to EBITDA leverage will be 2 times at the end of the current financial year with future years seeing leverage fall as the business generates positive free cash flow.

OUTLOOK

The outlook for the remainder of the year is positive for the Group. Management looks forward to the end of the year with confidence, with full year earnings anticipated to be ahead of expectations.

Management anticipates a more sustained improvement in the global box office and also expects television markets to continue to evolve with demand for high quality, exclusive content growing from both traditional broadcast networks and digital platforms. With expertise in both content creation and distribution, eOne is well-positioned to benefit from this long term trend.

In addition, Peppa Pig goes from strength to strength both in established markets and newer territories, and our presence in territories globally is providing a strong platform for our wider Family portfolio.

TRADING UPDATE CONFERENCE CALL

Management will be hosting a conference call for analysts and investors this morning at 8.00am. The dial-in details are as follows:

UK Toll Number: 020 3139 4830

UK Toll-Free Number: 0808 237 0030

Participant Pin Code: 88534610 #

For further information please contact:

J.P. Morgan Securities plc is acting as corporate broker to the Company and no one else and will not be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to clients of J.P. Morgan in connection with any matter referred to herein.

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specialises in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The Company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Film and Television divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.