By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Most of the major pro team sports leagues in the U.S. use a two-tiered licensing model, in which the team owners, represented by the league, license the team names, logos and trade dress, and the players, represented by the union, license the players' names, likenesses, numbers and signatures. Historically, the lion's share of licensing revenue has … [Read more...] about NFLPA Teams Up with TinyCo for “Family Guy” Game Promotion
NASCAR Looks to Diversify Its Fan Base
By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Last week's piece about NASCAR's efforts to reach out to women and minorities included a couple of inaccuracies that we'd like to correct: Average household income of NASCAR fans is $71,000 (via Nielsen Scarborough), not under $50,000 as we reported The note about Danica Patrick's taking the poll in her "first race," is incorrect. Although Danica … [Read more...] about NASCAR Looks to Diversify Its Fan Base
The State of Girls’ Toys
By Karina Masolova 2016 promises to be bigger than ever for licensed toys and games. Category sales reached almost $7 billion in 2014, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey, and are expected to grow this year. But amidst soaring success, girls’ toys have been seeing slumping sales, with giants such as Mattel and Hasbro reporting declines. To counter this, the … [Read more...] about The State of Girls’ Toys
Turtles, Trolls and Other Movie Licenses That Will Challenge Star Wars This Year
By Marcy Magiera With Star Wars: The Force Awakens closing in on $2 billion in global ticket sales and continuing to topple box-office records on an almost daily basis a month after its opening, it's clear the latest installment in the sci-fi epic will continue to drive licensed merchandise sales throughout 2016—and beyond. Once The Force Awakens leaves theaters, there … [Read more...] about Turtles, Trolls and Other Movie Licenses That Will Challenge Star Wars This Year
MLB Continues to Score with Hot Markets
By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Like the other major pro sports leagues, Major League Baseball is getting better at making hay on hot market sales of licensed merchandise commemorating special events. These opportunities must be seized quickly while fan emotions are still ripe. MLB's biggest hot markets are the post-season and mid-season All Star Game which, since 2003, has … [Read more...] about MLB Continues to Score with Hot Markets
Tis the Season for Acquisitions
By Karina Masolova Companies were treating themselves this holiday season, with number of acquisitions making headlines. Here are some of the top buys: Sequential Brands Group restructured its agreement with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in a new 10 year contract to acquire all outstanding shares of the media company. Sequential expects to generate nearly $3.75 billion in … [Read more...] about Tis the Season for Acquisitions
Wearable Technology, VR in the Spotlight at CES
By Marcy Magiera Continued consumer adoption of connected devices and technologies, collectively known as the "Internet of Things" or IoT, is forecast to push the U.S. consumer technology industry to a record $287 billion in retail revenues in 2016, creating ample new licensing opportunities along the way in products for home and personal use. The Consumer Technology … [Read more...] about Wearable Technology, VR in the Spotlight at CES
Growing Ecommerce Sales Make This an Average Black Friday
By Karina Masolova Retail sales for Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day saw a channel shift expected to stay strong throughout the holiday season. Ecommerce sales were up, accounting for roughly a quarter of sales over the two-day period. And needless to say, over the weekend and into Cyber Monday, computer- and mobile-based sales only grew. Internet analytics firm comScore … [Read more...] about Growing Ecommerce Sales Make This an Average Black Friday
Top 5 Sports Licensing Stories of 2015
By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. 1. Nike Takes NBA from Adidas In March, Adidas announced that it would not renew its 11-year partnership with the NBA. Nike swooshed in and by June secured an 8-year, reported $1 billion deal to be the Association's on-court uniform supplier starting in 2017. 2. Adidas Takes NHL from Reebok Six months after walking away from the NBA account, Adidas won … [Read more...] about Top 5 Sports Licensing Stories of 2015
Pantones Colors Fashion, Décor Pink and Blue
If a color—or two—can reflect the mood of a people, it could be that we're all just lightening up. Color house Pantone has for the first time named a blending of two shades, Rose Quartz (Pantone 13-1520) and Serenity (Pantone 15-3919), as its Color of the Year for 2016. The positively pastel pink-blue combo stands in stark contrast to the hue of 2015: Marsala, a dark, earthy … [Read more...] about Pantones Colors Fashion, Décor Pink and Blue