The Licensing Letter

TV Series

Cyber Group Producing First Final Fantasy Show For Kids

The venerable video game franchise Final Fantasy has been tapped for film and series content before, but for the first time, Cyber Group Studios of Paris is developing a version for children, aged from eight to 13. CGS says it has signed a deal with Square Enix, the game developer, to co-produce a new TV series based on the popular title Final Fantasy IX. Cyber Group will also … [Read more...] about Cyber Group Producing First Final Fantasy Show For Kids

Matthew Shiels to Oversee Licensing at Fred Rogers Productions

It's been a wonderful day in the neighborhood for Matthew Shiels, who was promoted this week from director to VP of Business and Legal Affairs at Fred Rogers Productions. As a major part of that promotion, Shiels now takes on the responsibility of overseeing licensing activities for the Fred Rogers brands. Those include not just the iconic show Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood, but … [Read more...] about Matthew Shiels to Oversee Licensing at Fred Rogers Productions

Pokemon GO Developer Releasing Radical Transformers Game

Niantic, the software team that developed the viral Augmented Reality (AR) game Pokemon GO, is working with Hasbro and TOMY to develop a new mobile game based on the Transformers franchise. Called Transformers: Heavy Metal, the new game will see players battle with characters from the Transformers series in real world settings using the game’s AR features. The idea is similar … [Read more...] about Pokemon GO Developer Releasing Radical Transformers Game

Guru Studio Appoints Master Toy Partner for True

Canadian animation studio Guru has appointed United Smile as its first-ever Master Toy Partner for its series True and the Rainbow Kingdom. The studio originally partnered with Toy State in a non-exclusive licensing agreement, but the toy company shut down in 2018 after more than three decades in business. Guru has also worked with other companies, but the deal with United … [Read more...] about Guru Studio Appoints Master Toy Partner for True

Netflix Opening Online Store to Sell Licensed Merch From Hit Shows

Netflix is Becoming Amazon, Amazon is Becoming Netflix By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Amazon has become the single greatest competitor for Netflix in terms of members, but now Netflix is getting a bit of its own back by moving into the ecommerce space, selling products to its more than 200 million paying subscribers. Netflix on Thursday launched new online store selling … [Read more...] about Netflix Opening Online Store to Sell Licensed Merch From Hit Shows

Who’s News: WarnerMedia Appoints Head of Content Acquisition in Asia Pacific

WarnerMedia has appointed Melissa Lim as its new head of content acquisitions and co-productions for its children's networks in Asia Pacific, which include POGO, Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Lim's brief also includes advising on licensing content to fuel the growing demand for kids and family programming on the regional streaming service HBO GO in Southeast Asia.  Lim will be … [Read more...] about Who’s News: WarnerMedia Appoints Head of Content Acquisition in Asia Pacific

Who’s News: Gamarra Tagged To Adapt Literature to Film

ViacomCBS has created a new role in the company, hiring literary agent Eddie Gamarra as VP of literary affairs for Nickelodeon and Awesomeness. The idea is to improve the company's ability to mine the world's rich vein of literary content for ideas that translate well into TV shows and movies. In this new-to-the-company position, Gamarra will be responsible for sourcing and … [Read more...] about Who’s News: Gamarra Tagged To Adapt Literature to Film

African Animators On The Rise With Disney+, Netflix, Cartoon Network

By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Until now, children in Africa didn't really see themselves represented in the shows they watched, as the vast majority of television content was produced in North America, Europe and Asia. It's also a problem for licensees on the continent, as Africa has long lacked home-grown heroes in children's shows, with virtually all licensed products … [Read more...] about African Animators On The Rise With Disney+, Netflix, Cartoon Network

SEGA Adds Two Sonic Toy Partners In Europe

SEGA Europe has announced new licensing partnerships with Wow! Stuff and HoloToyz to mark the 30th anniversary of its flagship property Sonic the Hedgehog. Wow! Stuff will be bringing the speedy video game character to its award-winning Wow! Pods range, which will feature light-up characters from the Sonic universe, housed within interconnecting display cases. In the agreement … [Read more...] about SEGA Adds Two Sonic Toy Partners In Europe