Family business generated $1.5bn of retail sales in FY17, over 25% higher than FY16.
The Family division of eOne saw its revenues for the full year ending March 31, 2017 climb 33% to £88.6 million (2016: £66.6m), mostly driven by the continued strong performance of Peppa Pig as well as the growing popularity of PJ Masks.
The business generated $1.5 billion of retail sales in FY17 (over 25% higher than FY16) and almost 800 new and renewed broadcast and licensing agreements were concluded in the year.
The business ended the year with almost 1,100 live licensing and merchandising contracts across its portfolio of brands, an increase of 28% from the prior year.
Peppa Pig continued to grow with total retail sales of $1.2 billion (2016: $1.1 billion) and licensing and merchandising revenue of £45.7 million (2016: £39.4 million).
The financial performance in the year was driven by the growth in the US where licensing and merchandising revenue increased by over 170%, following the successful wide licensing programme launch before the Christmas period, which now makes the US the number one licensing territory for Peppa Pig.
The brand has also solidified its position in the Chinese market, while the continued roll out of Peppa Pig into emerging territories such as France, Russia and Latin America is showing positive results.
Meanwhile, PJ Masks has been a key driver of revenue growth for the business in FY17 with revenue increasing over 500% year-on-year from £2.2 million to £13.5 million.
Following the success of the first season of PJ Masks, a second season has been greenlit and is currently in production with delivery expected to commence in FY19, while season three is also in development.
Looking ahead, and the eOne group is in production on a number of other properties including a preschool vehicle-based series called Ricky Zoom from the same creative team as PJ Masks; and comedy series Cupcake & Dino: General Services.
eOne Family’s theatrical title Peppa Pig: My First Cinema Experience featuring new interstitial content and never-before-seen episodes from season four was released widely in the UK and Australia in April 2017, taking almost £3.5 million at the UK box office to-date.
The business is also continuing to explore and is seeing growth potential in other platforms including mobile applications, live shows and experiential events to engage the consumer in new ways.
Overall, the eOne group reported revenue growth of 35% for the full year ending March 31, 2017 to £1,083 million (2016: £803 million).
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