In this year’s edition of TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey, we introduced new questions specifically targeting the impact of COVID-19 on respondents’ licensing business. Note that the Survey was administered throughout March, and earlier responses predated many of the major impacts of Covid-19, such as the effective shut-down of several major metropolitan cities. As a consequence, we expect these responses to shift as time goes on. We’re hosting a follow-up survey at https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/tll-salary in connection with TLL’s 2020 Salary Survey, to help track the individualized effects of Covid-19 on the licensing industry as well as the licensing executives that keep it going. As always, all responses are confidential and any potentially identifiable information is redacted. When asked how immediately direct the impact of Covid-19 on their business was, just… . . . read more
Breaking Down TLL’s Annual Survey
Every year we strive to bring you the most representative figures behind the licensing business. To that end, TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey is one of the most powerful tools we use to better serve you. Here are the number’s behind this year’s Survey. Breaking out the respondents by function, 39% work as licensees, 26% as licensors, 24% as agents, and the remaining 12% as consultants, service providers, and retailers. When asked to estimate the amount of annual retail sales of licensed product respondents were responsible for managing, licensing executives working as licensors reported the greatest amount, on average, with over $200 million in licensing business each (responses ranged from $25,000 to $2 billion). The average licensee oversaw $25 million worth of licensed retail sales, ranging from $50,000 to $450… . . . read more
Average Royalty Income Up 5.0% Worldwide in 2019
Seventy-three percent of respondents to TLL’s 2019–2020 Licensing Business Survey reported that royalty income was up from the previous year, compared to 18% who said it declined and 9% who said it stayed the same. On average, licensing executives reported a 5.0% increase in royalty income in 2019. Royalty income is distinguished from licensed retail sales as the net revenue extracted from licensed goods. Although the health of any market may be gauged by an increase in licensed sales of merchandise, there are times when related costs such as the cost of production, marketing, and sales outweigh revenue. We note that despite the loss in revenue, higher spending in the short run may pay off with higher returns in the long run as a market for the licensed goods are… . . . read more
Average Industry-Wide Royalty Rate Up 0.7 Percentage Points to Reach 8.87% in 2019
The average royalty rate for consumer products licensing contracts jumped 0.7 percentage points to reach 8.87% in 2019, according to TLL’s 2019–2020 Licensing Business Survey. Since 2010, the industry-wide average royalty rate within the U.S. and Canada has grown by a mere 0.3 percentage points to reach 8.87% in 2019. Over that same time period, the 10-year average rate reached 8.73%. This last year marks the highest overall average royalty rate since 2004, when TLL recorded a rate of 9.4%. TLL first began tracking royalty rate data since 1986, and by property type and product category since 2001. The average change in royalty rates was flat within the U.S. and Canada, with the average rate increasing slightly by less than 0.1 percentage points. Only 6% of respondents to the Survey… . . . read more
32 Entertainment/Character Properties Make the Cut for $100MM List for 2018
Just 32 entertainment/character properties cleared over $100 million in licensed retail sales in the U.S. and Canada in 2018, compared to 37 in 2017 and 46 in 2016.…
Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on $100MM+ Entertainment/Character Properties
This chart was published Nov. 2019 in conjunction with an in-depth analysis of entertainment/character properties with at least $100 million in sales in the U.S./Canada for 2018…
Food, Electronics Drive 2018 Corporate TM/Brand-based Growth
The U.S. and Canada generated nearly $29.8 billion in licensed retail sales of goods based on corporate trademarks/brands in 2018. The largest product categories by dollar growth in that year…
Who’s News: November 2019
The latest hires, promotions, and departures.
Featuring: Sequential Brands, Hasbro, Fred Rogers, Sony Pictures, Disney, Sunrights, Viacom, and more…
Art-based Licensing Jumps 1.3%; Commercial Artists Drive Growth in Home Goods
Retail sales of licensed art-based merchandise jumped 1.3% in 2018 within the U.S. and Canada to reach $5.9 billion. The art and artists sub-category led with 1.4% growth ($61 million), while museum-based licenses drove 1.0% growth ($15 million) in licensed retail sales…
Who’s News: September 2019
The latest hires, promotions, and departures.
Featuring: Trends Intl., Dimensional Branding, VF Corp., Amazon, and more…