eOne acquires another Canuck prodco

North American production giant Entertainment One has acquired another Canada-based producer – this time the Vancouver-based Four Force Entertainment.

This comes after eOne paid C$29.2 million (US$27.2 million) in July for Paperny Entertainment. No figure was placed on this latest deal.

Four Force is best known for unscripted shows such as Border Security: Canada’s Front Line, The Cupcake Girls, Shannon and Sophie, Village on a Diet and Murder She Solved.

However, it formed its relationship with eOne on scripted sitcom Seed, which aired in Canada on CityTV and The CW in the US. This lead to a first-look development deal for both scripted and unscripted, and now a company acquisition.

“As our business relationship developed, it was clear that Force Four and eOne share very similar tenets and goals, as two Canadian companies committed to great story-telling aimed at worldwide audiences,” said John Morayniss, CEO, eOne Television.

Four Force, which launched in 1983, is lead by a management team of Rob Bromley, John Ritchie, and Gillian Lowrey, all of whom are joining eOne as a result of the deal.

Company president Bromley will report to Morayniss.“We are thrilled to be a part of the dynamic global business of eOne,” he said.

“Our aim has always been for Force Four to make compelling content in Canada that sells around the world. We are so proud to have reached this milestone, and we are looking forward to taking our slate even further creatively and globally.”

eOne says the deal will reinforce its activities in Canadian television and international sales offering.