Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One (eOne) has reported widening losses ahead of the completion of its £3.3 billion sale to toy giant Hasbro.
The London-listed firm slid to a £43.9 million loss for the three months to June 30, down from a £6.8 million loss the previous year, after it was struck by a £28 million one-off payment.
EOne updated investors ahead of its annual general meeting next week, where shareholders will vote on the agreement to sell the business to Hasbro.
Hasbro, the maker of Monopoly and My Little Pony, said that the move would "dramatically enhance" its story-telling capabilities. The deal is still awaiting regulatory approval.
The media business also posted lower sales, sliding 7% to £173.1 million, driven by a decline in film, television and music revenues.
Sales were affected by fewer scripted programmes, the company said, although this was partly offset by an increase in music revenue through the acquisition of Audio Network for £178 million in April.
It said eOne suffered a "lower performance" in film and television revenues as it was impacted by the mix and timing of releases.
However, the company said the scripted television market remains vibrant and said it saw a number of new series commissioned.
It also hailed the strong performance Keanu Reeves-led action movie John Wick 3 to boost its film revenues as it focuses on increasing production.
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EOne said revenue across its key family and brands division was "broadly stable compared to the prior period", despite a competitive preschool merchandise market.
Peppa Pig has "maintained momentum" in its core markets, while PJ Masks, another of the company's shows for younger children, has been fully rolled out across the major global markets, with particular success in the US and Canada.
Fast-fashion retailer Quiz has stumbled to lower sales in the first half of the year on the back of "very challenging" high street conditions.
The retailer said that its stores and concessions suffered weaker-than-expected sales over the six months to September after a slump in footfall.
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Quiz reported that total group revenues slipped 5% to £63.3 million during the period, as online growth failed to offset its high street decline.
Jet2 owner Dart Group has said demand for its flights and holidays has been boosted by Thomas Cook's collapse.
The travel firm saw its shares jump after it said it expects full-year profits to be higher than previously forecast on the back of strong later season bookings.
The collapse of Thomas Cook last month, which resulted in thousands of redundancies, helped to drive customers to the Jet2 leisure travel business, it said.
In a trading statement, Dart Group said: "In our leisure travel business we have continued to receive encouraging levels of later season bookings, with overall demand for both our flight-only offering and package holiday products continuing to strengthen.
"We have also experienced increased levels of customer demand since Thomas Cook Group entered into compulsory liquidation in late September 2019 and we continue to assess the impact this will have for our business in the coming months."
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