Open call Looking to hire or be hired? Contact our business development team to feature your listing on TLL. Just want to feature your new hires? Contact editorial. John Louie is Warner Bros. Consumer Products' new SVP Intl.; he is responsible for development and management of Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Canada across all categories of business. Ben Pyne, Disney’s … [Read more...] about Who’s News
Articles
Contract Lengths Steadier Than Ever At 3 Years
Respondants to TLL's Annual Licensing Business Survey report extreme stability in the length of the average licensing contract. Over 89% of licensing executives report that their contract lengths are flat from last year, with those experiencing lenghtened or shorter contracts evenly split (5%). This number is up from last year, when more than four-fifths (88%) of respondents … [Read more...] about Contract Lengths Steadier Than Ever At 3 Years
Soft Book Sales as the World Celebrates Reading
To mark the 20th anniversary of Read Across America (or World Book Day in the rest of the world), children around the world dressed up as their favorite publishing-based characters. The holiday is also known as Dr. Seuss Day in honor of American writer Theodore Seuss Geisel, whose birthday falls on March 2nd. The Roald Dahl Literary Estate launched Roald Dahl’s Imaginormous … [Read more...] about Soft Book Sales as the World Celebrates Reading
M&A and Legal
Macy's and (now Sequential Brand Group's) Martha Stewart make up with a renewal of their 10-year partnership. Macy's is the exclusive retailer for the Martha Stewart Collection brand that covers over 1,000 SKUs. The partners were previously embroiled in a 5-year legal dispute after JCPenney made a deal for Martha-branded bed, bath and kitchen products as its exclusive deal with … [Read more...] about M&A and Legal
Who’s News
Open call Looking to hire or be hired? Contact our business development team to feature your listing on TLL. Just want to feature your new hires? Contact editorial. Illumination Entertainment taps former Jim Henson Co. President Peter Schube as COO, replacing Natalie Fischer. Also hired are Scott Broock, as EVP Digital Strategy & Innovation and Latifa Ouaou, as Executive … [Read more...] about Who’s News
Licensing Execs Hopeful for 2017 After Strong Sales in 2016
According to The Licensing Letter’s Annual Licensing Business Survey, over 66% of licensing companies experienced growth in retail sales in 2016. In contrast, 21% of respondents reported declining sales, and 12% had flat growth. This trend largely continues from last year, when the number of responses reporting positive growth outnumbered those reporting no or declining growth … [Read more...] about Licensing Execs Hopeful for 2017 After Strong Sales in 2016
Collectibles, Preschool Snag Top Toys of the Year
Congrats to the winners of the 17th annual Toy of the Year Awards, hosted by the The Toy Industry Association (TIA). LEGO and Spin Master snagged three awards this year, while Funko and Mattel had two each. The Toy of the Year went to LEGO Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster from LEGO, while the People’s Choice award went to Pop! from Funko. Seven out of the 14 total … [Read more...] about Collectibles, Preschool Snag Top Toys of the Year
Star Wars Rules Pop Culture Collectibles
The growing action figures and collectibles market has Star Wars to thank for its success these past few years. The NPD group estimates that the property was the top-earner in toys sales for 2016 (at nearly $760 million in the U.S.)—while TLL ranked Star Wars as No. 2 for overall licensed retail sales in 2015 at $1,327 million in the U.S./Canada. Entertainment Earth, the … [Read more...] about Star Wars Rules Pop Culture Collectibles
Google, YT & Microsoft MVPs Amongst Tech Brands
The title of most powerful tech brand worldwide goes to Google for the first time in six years, according to Brand Finance, which ranks brands based on its own index. The previous No. 1 spot was occupied by Apple, but the brand valuation firm has firmly devalued the giant by $38.7 billion as optimism around Apple's ability to innovate and sustain revenue growth wane. Overall, … [Read more...] about Google, YT & Microsoft MVPs Amongst Tech Brands
Toy Fair 2017: Shrink Rays, Traditional Play & Robotics
To all those who attended North American Intl. Toy Fair in New York—hope you had a great show! This year was bigger than ever, with expanded floor space for new exhibitors and packed crowds during the weekend. The Toy Industry Association (TIA) reported that 1,126 total exhibitors from 31 countries were in attendance this year, with 103 new faces. This last year ended with a … [Read more...] about Toy Fair 2017: Shrink Rays, Traditional Play & Robotics