As we enter the New Year, TLL recaps our most-read stories of 2016. Ready to take a walk down memory lane—and see what you missed?
- Planned Feature Films with Licensing Potential [TLL Chart]. Our regularly updated list of upcoming feature films with licensing potential had many readers checking in throughout the year to see what’s been added, removed, and updated since last time. Check out our latest analysis of the list here, which includes a three-year comparison of the films that made it.
- 2015 Retail Sales of Licensed Goods in U.S./Canada Top $103 Billion. The first results from our annual Survey tops in at number two. Over the year, we continued to publish in-depth analysis of some of the top property types and product categories.
- 4.8% Growth in Retail Sales of Sports-Licensed Goods in 2015. One of those categories was sports—which thrived overall in 2015. In particular, the MLB overtaking the NFL in retail sales for the number one spot.
- $100 Million+ Entertainment/Character Properties [TLL Chart]. In our annual review of top properties that cleared over $100 million in licensed retail sales in the U.S./Canada, we welcomed three new (-ish) properties to the list: Scooby-Doo (No. 28), Doctor Who (No. 39), and Shopkins (No. 44).
- Average Royalty Rates, Guarantees & Advances in the U.S. & Canada Climb. We recorded another year in a two-decade stretch of stablitity in royalties. Three property types went up in 2015: entertainment, sports and video games.
- 42 Entertainment Character Properties Reach $100 Million. Last year’s analysis of the $100 million list (based on 2014 figures) made our list, followed by:
- 44 Entertainment/Character Brands Make the $100 Million List. Wondering about the number discrepancy? One brand didn’t make the cut last year.
- Toy Fair 2016. The biggest toy trends to come out of the 2016 North American Toy Fair were nostalgia, bite-sized collectibles, and tech-enhanced play. Join us this February as we treck out to Jacob Javits once more!
- Six New Streaming Shows with Licensing Potential. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and other streaming platforms are fast becoming the distribution platform of choice as they provide a hefty boost to licensing programs.
- Branded Weed in Full Bloom. The newest product category for licensing emerged in full-force in 2016, as celebrities, musicians, and celebrity cooks launched branded cannabis programs.
There are some stories that, as honorable mentions, had a bit less traffic. But they still packed some traction: this section is dedicated to the stories that had our phone and inboxes ringing.
- Worldwide Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise [TLL Chart]. It barely missed the cut for views, but we all needed to know, exactly, how the $163.1 billion worldwide market for retail sales of licensed merchandise was cut and diced.
- The Language of Licensing. The evolving nature of the terms we use (Licensing business or industry? Is “deal” even the right word to use?) led us to reach out to you—and led to some unexpected responses!
- Pokémon GOes Viral in its 20th Anniversary Celebrations. The big summer fad of 2016 had everyone from retailers, to manufacturers, to networks eager to get a piece of the pie.