We break down this month's must-know news in mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships. Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Direct contact information is made available through TLL's Licensing Sourcebook Online (subscription required). September 23, 2019 Update To celebrate of World Cleanup Day, Bacardi and environmental non-profit Lonely Whale are upcycling … [Read more...] about M&A & Partnerships
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What’s the [Toy] Story? Same as Last Year, Just Better!
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Straight from the floor of New York Toy Fair, TLL brings you the latest and greatest in toy trends. They just happen to be the same as last year's—only more nuanced, thoughtful, and developed. The good news this year: No one's freaking out about the ability of America's largest toy retailer to actually pay its vendors. More … [Read more...] about What’s the [Toy] Story? Same as Last Year, Just Better!
Who’s News—January 2019
Are you hiring—or being promoted, changing jobs, retiring, launching a new company, or otherwise changing your employment? Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com to announce the news in our next issue of Who's News. 1/14/2019 Margie Cohn, currently President of DreamWorks Animation Television, takes on the additional role of President of DreamWorks Animation. Cohn … [Read more...] about Who’s News—January 2019
M&A & CSR
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Apple nabs the rights to the late Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts brand following a highly competitive bidding process. The deal will see Apple team with DHX, which already has a stake in the Peanuts franchise, to produce upcoming projects, including new specials and animated shorts, exclusively for Apple TV. Under the new … [Read more...] about M&A & CSR
Legal Watch: Sporting Goods & Apparel; Toys & Games
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. CrossFit and Reebok settle their litigation-related licensing disputes and "look forward to continuing their work together as partners mutually dedicated to improving individual health and fitness globally." In 2010, the companies entered into a 10-yr. licensing and sponsorship agreement where Reebok would act as the title … [Read more...] about Legal Watch: Sporting Goods & Apparel; Toys & Games
Experiential & Content Initiatives: From Theme Parks to Boxing Matches
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. CBS Films enters into an exclusive national partnership with Six Flags Entertainment for a unique Halloween theme park experience that brings horror flick Hell Fest to life in CA, NJ, and IL. New themes areas include The Mausoleum, an increasingly narrow hall that forces guests to feel the touch of death; The Mask Room, a … [Read more...] about Experiential & Content Initiatives: From Theme Parks to Boxing Matches
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
TV Talk: Series With Licensing Potential
Karina Masolova, karina@plainlanguagemedia.com The average consumer has 4.5 different sources (up from 3.7 in 2014) to choose from when they’re ready to watch a TV show, including linear TV, DVR, VOD, Netflix, and Hulu, according to Hub Entertainment Research. Among younger viewers aged 18-34, the number of platforms is even higher at 5.1 average platforms. Only 39% of viewers … [Read more...] about TV Talk: Series With Licensing Potential
Content Watch: New Series & Activations
Differential Brands Group will acquire the majority of Hong Kong-based Global Brands Group Holding Ltd.’s North American licensing business for $1.38 billion in an all-cash deal expected to close Q3 2018. The acquisition is expected to boost Differential Brands’ annual revenues up to more than $2.3 billion. The assets at stake comprise all of GBG's North American children’s … [Read more...] about Content Watch: New Series & Activations
M&A & Experiential
American households are loading up on credit card debt, according to data from the Federal Reserve and a related study by WalletHub. By the end of 2017, credit card debt in the U.S. reached $1.01 trillion, beating out the previous record of $984 billion at the end of 2008 and the start of 2009, the tipping point of the Great Recession. Just this past holiday season, WalletHub … [Read more...] about M&A & Experiential