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
Top Licensed Retail Sales Figures to Have On-hand in the New Year
While TLL is crunching the official stats for 2019 over the next month, here are some figures and trends we’re tracking for next year…
A Decade in Review: Hindsight is 20/20
In terms of licensed retail sales, the story of the last decade is one of recovery from the impact of the Great Recession of 2007–2009, which directly resulted in a -11.5% decline in licensed retail sales in 2009 in the U.S. and Canada…
Most-Read Articles of 2019
Based on The Licensing Letter’s website analytics, here are the top stories of 2019, based on the number of page views accumulated since the beginning of the year…
Discount, Value Channels Drive Fashion Brand-based Growth in 2018
Retail sales of licensed fashion brand-based goods jumped 1.6%, with most of the growth emerging from discount and value retailers. Despite the loss of thousands of retail storefronts over 2018, sales through brick-and-mortal locations grew…
M&A & Partnerships
This week in mergers, aquisitions, and partnerships:
Crunchyroll is now the majority investor in VIZ Media Europe Group, consolidating its hold over the European anime market, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises launches a new 5-year touring show with Kilburn…