Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will examine toy giant Hasbro’s planned $4 billion acquisition of independent studio and Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One.
The competition regulator, which had a big role in probing the sale of European pay TV giant Sky, said Thursday that it would look at whether the deal “may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services.”
Its examination will start on Friday. The deadline for the CMA to announce a potential so-called “Phase 2,” or more in-depth investigation, is Jan. 21.
Hasbro unveiled the mega-deal this summer. The acquisition would hand Hasbro the U.K. stock market-listed Canadian studio and its hit kids series Peppa Pig and PJ Masks along with other properties, such as Nickelodeon’s Ricky Zoom.
“eOne has the skill set as they’ve been using best practices to build a profitable film and TV business and the bulk of that is in TV,” said Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner when the deal was announced.
