By Glenn Demby In June, EA Sports tabbed Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane for the cover of its upcoming (Sept. 15) ES Sports NHL 16 game. It seemed the perfect choice. Kane, a 3-time Stanley Cup winner, is handsome, charismatic and, somewhat rare for a hockey star, American. But Kane is now under police investigation for alleged rape in his hometown of Hamburg, NY. So, EA has … [Read more...] about Patrick Kane & the Need for “Morals Clauses” in Celebrity Licenses
Property Types
Global Retail Sales of Licensed Goods Rise 2%, Reach $158.8 Billion in 2014
Worldwide retail sales of licensed merchandise increased 2% to $158.8 billion in 2014, as compared to $155.8 billion in 2013, according to The Licensing Letter's Annual Licensing Business Survey. The increase was fuelled by strong sales in the U.S., U.K. and Asia, which offset the stagnation or decline in other big markets in and outside Europe. Results by … [Read more...] about Global Retail Sales of Licensed Goods Rise 2%, Reach $158.8 Billion in 2014
Average Royalty Rates in U.S. & Canada Steady for Decade; Entertainment Fees Climb, Guarantees & Advances Flat
Royalties on licensed retail goods in U.S. and Canada in 2014 represented the picture of longterm stability, capping a decade-long trend of little to no movement. The average royalty in 2014 was 8.68%, compared to 8.67% in 2013, a change of just 0.01%. Since 2005, the average royalty rate across property types and product categories has been in the 8.6% to 8.8% range. More … [Read more...] about Average Royalty Rates in U.S. & Canada Steady for Decade; Entertainment Fees Climb, Guarantees & Advances Flat
Retail Sales of Licensed Goods in U.S./Canada Grow 2.5% in 2014: Entertainment, Sports, Food Make Biggest Gains
Retail sales of licensed goods in the U.S. and Canada reached $99.9 billion in 2014, according to The Licensing Letter's Annual Licensing Business Survey. That's a 2.5% increase over the $97.5 billion in retail licensed goods sales generated in 2013. 2014 is the fourth positive growth year in a row for the licensing business in the U.S. and Canada. The 2.5% rate of increase in … [Read more...] about Retail Sales of Licensed Goods in U.S./Canada Grow 2.5% in 2014: Entertainment, Sports, Food Make Biggest Gains
Japan: Licensing By Property Sector
Sluggish GDP growth and falling retail sales limited licensed retail sales in Japan to $10.1 billion in 2013, according to TLL's International Licensing Report. That’s a very modest growth rate. And projections for 2014 are not expected to be a whole lot better. Here’s an overview of licensing sales performance in Japan by property sector. Entertainment/Character: 39.1% Some … [Read more...] about Japan: Licensing By Property Sector
Brazil Dominates and Continues To Fuel Growth, Per Capita Spending
Retail sales of licensed merchandise in Latin America totaled $4.1 billion in 2013, an increase of 3.3% from $3.9 billion in 2012, according to The Licensing Letter’s “International Licensing: A Status Report.” Since 2011, the licensing business in the region has grown 7.9%. While 3.3% is a respectable rate of increase—less than Central/Eastern Europe and Middle East/Africa … [Read more...] about Brazil Dominates and Continues To Fuel Growth, Per Capita Spending
Greater China Continues to Demonstrate Rapid Growth In Licensing
Greater China—mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau—has been one of the fastest-growing licensing markets within Asia and in the world over the past few years. In fact, two of the countries in Greater China, the mainland and Macau, were the first and second fastest-growing individual countries in retail sales of licensed products in 2013, with increases of 9.2% and 9.0%, … [Read more...] about Greater China Continues to Demonstrate Rapid Growth In Licensing
2014 Optimism Revisited: Licensing’ Opportunities Rooted In Speed-to-Market, New Distribution, Globalization
Fall is the season when licensing executives tout their optimism about next year. That’s because most have abandoned their optimism for this year. It’s akin to the old adage about the Army—the best base is the one you were at last or the one you’re going to, never the one you’re at. Much turns, of course, on the retail outlook. By fall, retailers have started to sense the … [Read more...] about 2014 Optimism Revisited: Licensing’ Opportunities Rooted In Speed-to-Market, New Distribution, Globalization
Variations on a Retail Theme
Five years ago, Toys 'R' Us opened 350 holiday express pop-up stores during the fourth quarter. The program was vastly scaled back the following year and has pretty much disappeared. And while TRU wasn’t the first to implement a pop-up concept, its efforts in 2009 gave rise to a wide array of much smaller—often single-unit pop-ups—that have been as much about promotion as … [Read more...] about Variations on a Retail Theme
Iconix: Owning (and Licensing) is Believing
Iconix has $750 million in go-forward guaranteed minimum royalties for 2015, excluding renewals, the company reported in the course of its analysts’ call following release of its third-quarter 2014 results. The company has renewed four major DTR agreements under the same terms as the prior deals: Danskin Now (Walmart), Mudd (Kohl’s), Material Girl (Macy’s), and Fieldcrest … [Read more...] about Iconix: Owning (and Licensing) is Believing