Hasbro Financial Earnings Reports (ongoing)

[Bidoofdude]

I know it�s relevant to their brand to reduce use of plastic packaging, but a lot of this stuff kind of reeks of marketing fluff and trying to gain public favour through ultimately pretty meaningless platitudes. Plastic packaging on collectable toys is ultimately a drop in the bucket compared to the capital and power that Hasbro has. It can come across in a similar vein to a lot of big companies now pushing for individual responsibility from customers (recycling in the home, saving power, saving water) that lessens the responsibility for large faceless companies. Those things are great to do, but the time to do them was decades ago. The time period we live in demands more.

Though perhaps out of their wheelhouse as a toy company, Hasbro would make a much more meaningful impact by investing directly into large scale sustainability efforts and helping push back against the majority of carbon production, that is made by large energy, transport and food production companies resisting systemic changes. Given their recent licensing with Funko and its blatantly unsustainable NFT projects, I would doubt the efforts would go much farther than this surface level marketing gloss, which is disappointing.

[griffin]

Some big changes could be coming our way from Hasbro, after the recent changes at the top (after the passing of Brian Goldner).
One thing is that they are re-evaluating their future entertainment plans and their ongoing partnership with Paramount... which has been a big part of Hasbro's growth in the last 15 years, thanks mostly to Brian's vision for Hasbro's future as an entertainment company, not just a toy company.

This is from an article in Bloomberg, which I haven't read... so am just going on the highlighted bits from here.

Thanks to an article by Bloomberg, we now know that Hasbro is in the process of reevaluating its entertainment plans.
The article highlights multiple factors including the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic wreaking havoc on Hollywood box-office, and the passing of Hasbro’s former CEO, Brian Goldner, as the root causes of the reevaluation.

Mr. Goldner was also a part of the director board of Paramount Global (formerly known as Viacom CBS). His passing may have severed the tight connection between Paramount Pictures and Hasbro. At the moment, Paramount produces and distributes entertainment based on Hasbro properties such as Transformers, G.I. Joe, D&D, etc.

According to the article, Hasbro is looking at two options:

1. [Hasbro] can take the existing staff [at eOne] and redirect it to make branded entertainment (think “Peppa Pig” movies), and shut down work on projects like “Yellowjackets” and “Designated Survivor.”
2. [Hasbro] can sell everything it doesn’t want.

With the current 5-Year Agreement with Paramount Pictures coming to a closure at the end of 2022, Hasbro will also have to reevaluate the partnership on whether to extend or to let go.
CEO of eOne (a subsidiary of Hasbro), Mr. Darren Throop, will be stepping down at the end of this year as well.

Meanwhile, there could also be a shake-up of their toy distribution strategy, as they are looking to change the way they release movie tie-in toylines (not just Transformers), from a huge flood of stock all at once around the release of the movie, to a more staggered release over a longer period of time.
This probably only applies to Movie and Cartoon toylines, not the more collector-targeted toylines.

‘Today, unpredictability reigns, with chaotic supply chains affecting timing, and streaming content rolling out in six-packs rather than full seasons. Meanwhile, disappearing theatrical windows have drastically changed movie launches and the Consumer Products programs that accompany them.
But in business, challenges often bring opportunities. That’s the lens through which Marianne James, Hasbro’s VP of EMEA and Asia, sees the current landscape.
“Tried and tested models still have their place, especially when you’ve got a Consumer Products program that leans on core pillars like toys and games,” says James. “What is interesting now is that we can test and learn. Instead of dropping products based on seasons, we’re now looking to where a rollout could be more relevant to a culture in one of our specific markets.”
One way Hasbro has shifted its strategy to accommodate the “highly unpredictable” nature of the market is to space out product releases in smaller waves instead of releasing the entire range in one large launch, she says. This provides the ability to establish contingencies if logistical issues occur in the company’s supply line.
“If the content is pushed back and we experience a delay at retail, or there are problems getting product on the water, it’s better to be flexible and have a softer, more phased-out launch instead of using a big, all-encompassing 360 strategy,” says James.
This is especially important for Hasbro’s “vault” brands such as Transformers, Peppa Pig, and My Little Pony, which exists in highly competitive toy categories, most notably preschool. To have a major rollout fall flat due to timing problems is not an option, so the company is expanding its arsenal of marketing and engagement tools, she says.’

[DELTAprime]

Some bad news today that impacts Hasbro as a whole and its financial state.

Hasbro is laying off around 1100 Employees. I can't find anyone saying people on the Transformers team have been laid off, but that doesn't necessarily mean we won't see Transformers staff leave.

https://gamerant.com/hasbro-layoffs-over-1000-people/

[High_Q]

Some bad news today that impacts Hasbro as a whole and its financial state.

Hasbro is laying off around 1100 Employees.
https://gamerant.com/hasbro-layoffs-over-1000-people/

That's about one sixth of their global workforce. That's a lot of people laid off.

[DELTAprime]

According to a recent report, Chinese company Tencent is trying to buy D&D from Hasbro.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/...s-from-hasbro/