Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Lest TLL neglects to honor those corporate trademarks/brands with influence in the toys and games space, here are some of the top highlights amongst those branded offerings we spotted on the floor at New York Toy Fair: The Smithsonian expands its a widening line of STEM toys aimed at older kids from Sakar. The line includes … [Read more...] about Going Corporate: 2019 Toys/Games Built on a TM
Toys and Games
M&A: Bandai, Viacom, Bravado & More Expand
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Viacom strikes a deal to acquire free streaming TV service Pluto TV for $340 million in cash. President & CEO Bob Bakish identified the "significant white space in the ad-supported streaming market" as a growth opportunity for the company. Pluto TV streams over 100 channels and has more than 12 million monthly active … [Read more...] about M&A: Bandai, Viacom, Bravado & More Expand
Store Check: Holiday 2018 at Rockefeller Center
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. FAO Schwarz has returned to New York City with a brand new flagship store at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The toy store spans 2.5 levels with over 20,000 sq. ft. of FAO's signature toys, interactive experiences, and themed partner areas. In addition to holiday exclusives, the store's collaboration with specialty candy retailer … [Read more...] about Store Check: Holiday 2018 at Rockefeller Center
One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Roughly 29% of the top 2018 holiday toys are licensed, according to lists created by Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Kmart. In 2017, retail sales of licensed toys/games sank -4.4% to $7.7 billion in the U.S./Canada, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. This was largely due to the impact of the Toys 'R' Us … [Read more...] about One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed
M&A: Fashion, Toys & Other Business
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. As Levi Strauss prepares to open its largest store in the world in the form of a new Times Square flagship, it is also gearing up for an IPO that would value the company at up to $5 billion. The 145 year-old jeans manufacturer had gone public once before, in 1971, and is now privately held by the descendants of the family of … [Read more...] about M&A: Fashion, Toys & Other Business
Roundup: M&A & Legal
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Spanish soccer league LaLiga and Relevent, a multinational media, sports and entertainment group, craft a 15 year-long, equal joint venture to promote soccer in the U.S. and Canada. LaLiga will bring the first regular season clubs match to the U.S., dubbed LaLiga North America. LaLiga North America is LaLiga's exclusive … [Read more...] about Roundup: M&A & Legal
Both Toys & Games Set to Grow for 2018
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. American toy sales were up 7% to reach $7.9 billion in the first half of 2018, according to The NPD Group. The research firm logged significant gains in lower-priced toys (ranging from $5–19.99) including L.O.L. Surprise!, Total Marvel, Fingerlings, Hatchimals and Soft’n Slo Squishies. Youth electronics was the fastest … [Read more...] about Both Toys & Games Set to Grow for 2018
Comic-based, Original Films Lead Films With Licensing Potential
By: Karina Masolova, with additional research by Susan Adams and Michelle Odinyayeva. Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. TLL identified 213 upcoming films through 2025 as potential source material for licensed consumer products. Comic book-based properties lead the count, with 39% of films on the list, followed closely by original works (37%). Rounding off the … [Read more...] about Comic-based, Original Films Lead Films With Licensing Potential
37 Entertainment/Character Brands Earned Over $100 MM in the U.S./Canada
Karina Masolova, karina@plainlanguagemedia.com This year, a total of 37 properties made TLL’s annual list of entertainment/character brands that generated over $100 million in licensed retail sales in the U.S./Canada for 2017. Last year, TLL tracked 46 brands that qualified for the list based on 2016 sales. And the year before that, 44 brands made the list based on estimated … [Read more...] about 37 Entertainment/Character Brands Earned Over $100 MM in the U.S./Canada
M&A: Publishing Has a New Face
Publisher Watch: News Shake-Ups Hearst’s King Syndicate Feature and Emerging Tech divisions launch the conglomerate’s first AI-voice enabled entertainment for Amazon Alexa. Trivia Treat is meant to offer a challenging and fun daily gameplay experience for players around the world with games and puzzles. The NYT is stepping up its content licensing game with the re-branding and … [Read more...] about M&A: Publishing Has a New Face