Peppa, the cartoon pig, set to bring home the bacon

The company behind the cartoon series Peppa Pig and movie franchise The Hunger Games will soon be ready to pay a maiden dividend as it gears up for a premium listing in London and possible entry to the FTSE 250.

Entertainment One's sales jumped 25 per cent to £629.1m in the year to March as it received a lift from the acquisition of Alliance Films. Digital sales at the AIM-listed Entertainment One, which produces and licenses TV shows and films, rose 36 per cent to £90m, more than offsetting a fall in sales of physical DVDs.

Subscription video on demand is "still in its infancy", said the chief executive, Darren Throop, and there should be "significant upside". Pre-tax profits fell by more than 75 per cent to £5.5m as the group ran up exceptional costs on Alliance and set aside money for executive bonuses. There was also a £1.6m charge related to the collapse of HMV and Blockbuster.