eOne nabs Vivendi vid biz in Canada

LONDON -- eOne has taken over Vivendi Entertainment's home entertainment biz in Canada. The acquisition, effective from Jan. 1, will see eOne's market share in the retail sector significantly increased by Vivendi's library giving the distrib rights to a raft of docu and special interest genre titles. Under the deal, eOne will become the exclusive distributor in Canada for key home entertainment distribution labels, including Navarre, Funimation, Shout!, Factory, Classic Media, Mill Creek and National Geographic. Additionally, Vivendi product will strengthen the distrib's presence in kids and family home entertainment. eOne currently distributes WWE, Image, A&E, New Video and Acorn labels among others in Canada. Jim Fotheringham, senior veep of home entertainment for eOne Films Canada, said: "We're continually striving to be the leading independent distributor of filmed entertainment in Canada and deals like this provide us the opportunity to offer our partners top-level service and foster valuable relationships." Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com