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.



Latina Star Selena's Killer Denied Parole 30 Years After Murder

FILE - A portrait of the late singer Selena Quintanilla is seen in the crowd following a posthumous star ceremony for Quintanilla on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - A portrait of the late singer Selena Quintanilla is seen in the crowd following a posthumous star ceremony for Quintanilla on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
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Latina Star Selena's Killer Denied Parole 30 Years After Murder

FILE - A portrait of the late singer Selena Quintanilla is seen in the crowd following a posthumous star ceremony for Quintanilla on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - A portrait of the late singer Selena Quintanilla is seen in the crowd following a posthumous star ceremony for Quintanilla on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

A woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering a Mexican-American pop star in a Texas motel was denied parole on Thursday, almost three decades after the killing.

Yolanda Saldivar was president of Selena's fan club and had claimed she accidentally shot the singer on March 31, 1995 at a motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The 23-year-old star, whose full name was Selena Quintanilla Perez, was wildly popular in the Mexican-American community of Tejano music -- an upbeat mingle of Texan and Mexican sounds -- and on the verge of breaking through to a larger mainstream audience when she was killed.

"After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews conducted, it was the parole panel's determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldivar and set her next parole review for March 2030," the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole said in a statement, according to AFP.

According to the board, the decision was based on the "brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of the victim's vulnerability" of the murder, which indicated Saldivar "poses a continuing threat to public safety."

The singer's family welcomed the decision.

"While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us," her family and widower Chris Perez said in a joint statement.

Saldivar, now 64, was a personal assistant to Selena and an employee at her boutique when she fatally shot the star in the back after meeting her at a motel.

The singer had reportedly confronted Saldivar about more than 30,000 dollars missing from her fan club and two of her boutiques.

Witnesses told police that Selena identified Saldivar as her killer before she collapsed and died.

Listed by Billboard magazine as one of the greatest Latin artists of all time, Selena won a Grammy in 1993 and received a posthumous award in 2021.

In 2017, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.