Hasbro Delivers Strong Quarter on TV Production Rebound, Price Increases

The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on a toy for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York, US, November 16, 2021. (Reuters)
The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on a toy for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York, US, November 16, 2021. (Reuters)
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Hasbro Delivers Strong Quarter on TV Production Rebound, Price Increases

The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on a toy for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York, US, November 16, 2021. (Reuters)
The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on a toy for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York, US, November 16, 2021. (Reuters)

Hasbro Inc trounced analysts' estimates for quarterly revenue and profit on Monday, bolstered by a recovery in the toymaker's television production business and price increases to counter a hit from supply chain issues.

The Monopoly board game maker's shares rose 3.3% to $97 in premarket trading.

Revenue from Hasbro's entertainment business jumped 54% in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 26, as the company delivered new episodes of the Showtime series "Yellowjackets" and released a new "Clifford the Big Red Dog" movie.

In contrast, year-earlier results were knocked by production shutdowns brought on by the pandemic.

The return of Marvel superhero movies last year also propped up the company's consumer products unit, with revenue up 9% on demand for toys based on characters from the films.

Hasbro, like rival Mattel Inc, has been looking to generate more revenue from TV shows, movies and video games as it focuses on becoming a broader entertainment company rather than just a toymaker.

The company's total net revenue rose 17% to $2.01 billion in the fourth quarter, beating analysts' estimates of $1.87 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES estimates.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned $1.21 per share, topping estimates of 88 cents, as price increases last year helped offset a surge in raw material and transportation costs.

Hasbro, which last month named the head of its digital gaming division, Chris Cocks, as its next chief executive officer, said it expects fiscal 2022 revenue to rise at a low single-digit rate. Analysts on average had estimated a 3.9% increase.



Will Smith Gets a Street Named in the Philadelphia Neighborhood Where He Was Born and Raised

Will Smith holds up a street sign during a ceremony to name a street after him in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Will Smith holds up a street sign during a ceremony to name a street after him in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
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Will Smith Gets a Street Named in the Philadelphia Neighborhood Where He Was Born and Raised

Will Smith holds up a street sign during a ceremony to name a street after him in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Will Smith holds up a street sign during a ceremony to name a street after him in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

In West Philadelphia where he was born and raised, now there’s a street called Will Smith Way.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and city leaders honored the Oscar and Grammy winner on Wednesday, renaming a street next to Smith's old high school.

"Philly, I love you. I am yours. You are mine," Smith said at a ceremony along a section of 59th Street that now bears his name.

He reminisced about learning the values of hard work and education from his mother and father before hitting it big as an actor and rapper.

"Nobody gets an easy ride," he said. "That was one of the things these streets of Philadelphia taught me: that there's nothing wrong with a hard day's work."

Among those who came out to see him was a former teacher who was the first to call him "Prince Charming" — a nickname he changed up a bit for the 1990s TV show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," in which Smith played a teenager from Philadelphia who goes to live with relatives in Los Angeles.

"The name `The Fresh Prince' was coined in that building," Smith said, pointing back at Overbrook High School. "I added the ‘fresh’ because it was hip-hop slang."

Smith will release his fifth studio album "Based on a True Story" on Friday. It’s his first music project in two decades since "Lost and Found."

He won Grammys for "Summertime,Men In Black,Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It" and "Parents Just Don’t Understand." He's also starred in the movies "Bad Boys,Men in Black" and "King Richard."