Sony Pictures Entertainment’s consumer products division is establishing a Shanghai-based licensing office with Sabrina Gu leading direct deals in the territory as Director Consumer Products China. Gu continues to dual-report to Joseph Liao, CMO Beijing, and Jamie Stevens, EVP Worldwide Consumer Products. Disney Chairman & CEO Robert Iger resigns from the White House … [Read more...] about Who’s News
Mattel
M&A & Legal
Mattel Creations appoints ProjectFirst and Little Dot Studios to manage its AVOD platforms and grow channel subscribers for its brands in Russia and France, respectively. Spin Master sues Chinese manufacturer, Dongguan Moral Region Co. Ltd., for an alleged patent infringement against its Hatchimals toy. MCM Comic Con owner, MCM Central, takes a major stake in children’s … [Read more...] about M&A & Legal
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
M&A & Marketing
Disney looks to raise its ownership stake in Disneyland Paris to 85.7% after cutting a deal to buy the interest held by another Euro Disney investor, Kingdom Holding Co. The company plans to buy out remaining shares and invest up to $1.6 billion in the park to improve conditions, which has been struggling with attendance figures following the Nov. 2015 terrorist attacks in … [Read more...] about M&A & Marketing
M&A & Marketing
Disney looks to raise its ownership stake in Disneyland Paris to 85.7% after cutting a deal to buy the interest held by another Euro Disney investor, Kingdom Holding Co. The company plans to buy out remaining shares and invest up to $1.6 billion in the park to improve conditions, which has been struggling with attendance figures following the Nov. 2015 terrorist attacks in … [Read more...] about M&A & Marketing
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
CES Highlights
Some of the most interesting innovations to come out of CES 2017 embrace this year's top each trends—including voice-activated AI assistants (Amazon's Alexa takes the lead based on the number of products using the tech), self-driving cars, even bigger and thinner display screens (including TVs whose width is just under 4 mm and curved screens on laptops), and robots. Mattel … [Read more...] about CES Highlights
Who’s News
Click on the links to access a record of the selected individual's complete contact information including licenses held/represented and products manufactured through the Licensing Source Book Online. WME/IMG appoints Michael Ma to serve as CEO of its China subsidiary. Bob Bakishis stepping into the role of Viacom’s acting CEO & President on Nov. 15, officially ending Tom … [Read more...] about Who’s News
44 Entertainment/Character Brands Make the $100 Million List
Karina Masolova, additional reporting by Glenn Demby and Marcy Magiera Forty-four entertainment/character properties make our list of brands that generate over $100 million in retail sales of licensed merchandise in the U.S. and Canada—accounting for a total of $41 billion in sales worldwide in 2015. See the full list here. Three brands cleared $1 billion in the U.S./Canada … [Read more...] about 44 Entertainment/Character Brands Make the $100 Million List