The Licensing Letter

Marvel

New Film & Media

Hasbro signs a new 5 year exclusive deal for movie and television development with Paramount. The development will be done by Hasbro’s newly organized Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation, with Paramount distributing the films and TV series developed. The two companies have previously collaborated on five Transformers and two G.I. Joe films. Fox Animation acquires the … [Read more...] about New Film & Media

M&A Shorts

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Aramark partner to provide retail merchandise services for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open. Under the multi-year agreement, Aramark will manage all aspects of the US Open Tennis Championships’ retail sales and merchandising operations throughout the grounds of the National Tennis Center. … [Read more...] about M&A Shorts

M&A Shorts

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Aramark partner to provide retail merchandise services for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open. Under the multi-year agreement, Aramark will manage all aspects of the US Open Tennis Championships’ retail sales and merchandising operations throughout the grounds of the National Tennis Center. … [Read more...] about M&A Shorts

Deals in Short

As always, see the complete list of deals from this last week here. In Japan, a Betty Boop-branded diner opens in Japan through a deal brokered with Food Business Consultant Inc. (FBC) by licensor King Features’ Japanese agent, Copyrights Asia. The location plans to feature merch and special holiday events in the '50s-esque eatery. WildBrain is appointed as the exclusive … [Read more...] about Deals in Short

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. Mattel names former Google Americas President Margaret Georgiadis as its new CEO and a member of its board of directors. Georgiadis takes over from Christopher Sinclair on Feb. 8th. She currently serves on the … [Read more...] about Who’s News

Superheroes Revisited: Batman Overtakes Spider-Man

The age-old question is re-examined: DC or Marvel? We've restated the 2014 retail sales figures for Batman, Avengers, and Superman to reflect the relative rankings between the four superhero brands on the $100 million-plus list. This is how the top superheroes rank up in 2015 for licensed retail sales in the U.S./Canada: Batman (No. 11 on the $100 million list) Spider-Man … [Read more...] about Superheroes Revisited: Batman Overtakes Spider-Man

Halloween Spending Up; Entertainment Tops Costume Choices

By Karina Masolova Halloween spending is expected to reach an all-time high this year, according to the National Retail Foundation (NRF)'s Halloween Spending Survey; total spending is expected to reach $8.4 billion, up 21.7% from $6.9 billion in 2015. The last time sales came close was in 2012, at a previous high of $8.0 billion. Over 171 million Americans expected to celebrate … [Read more...] about Halloween Spending Up; Entertainment Tops Costume Choices

Entertainment/Character Once Again Fastest-Growing Property Type in 2015

By Marcy Magiera Entertainment/character licensing put on a display of superhero strength and speed in 2015, growing 8.0% to dash past $11 billion in retail sales in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Licensing Letter’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. It was the property type’s third consecutive year of notable growth: after five years of decline from 2008 through 2012, … [Read more...] about Entertainment/Character Once Again Fastest-Growing Property Type in 2015