The Licensing Letter

MLB

Hidden Pigeon Company Up to Bat with New York Yankees Apparel

By Allison Watkinson TLL Reporter Hidden Pigeon Company has teamed up with New Era Cap and OT Sports for a co-branded hat and apparel collection with the New York Yankees. New Era Cap has created an adjustable baseball cap that combines the Yankees’ NY logo with images of Mo Willems’ The Pigeon and Elephant & Piggie characters dressed in the Yankees signature pinstripes.The … [Read more...] about Hidden Pigeon Company Up to Bat with New York Yankees Apparel

Logo Brands Hits a Homer With MLB Agreement

Logo Brands, Inc. has entered into a new licensing agreement with Major League Baseball, granting the company rights to manufacture, produce and distribute MLB-branded throws, pillows and coozies to all retail channels. Logo Brands will make MLB merchandise available through Walmart, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Academy Sports, Bed Bath & Beyond, Fanatics and many other … [Read more...] about Logo Brands Hits a Homer With MLB Agreement

To Join, or Not to Join: Amazon’s Retail Takeover

While some brands are embracing the Amazon marketplace, others are waging war against the ecommerce giant. Brands must make a choice: Deal with the black and/or grey markets, or else become part of the white market. Online/ecommerce grew in distribution channel share by three-tenths of a percentage point last year to reach 11.7% of all licensed sales in the U.S./Canada—or … [Read more...] about To Join, or Not to Join: Amazon’s Retail Takeover

Content Creators

The digital media and entertainment division of Alibaba will invest $7.2 billion in new content over the next three years. The CEO of Alibaba’s Digital Media and Entertainment Group, Yu Yongfu wrote in an internal email—the figure was later confirmed by a company spokesperson—that “he didn’t come to play,” according to Reuters. A+E Networks acquires a majority stake in South … [Read more...] about Content Creators

4.8% Growth in Retail Sales of Sports-Licensed Goods in 2015: Stellar Years for MLB, NBA, NASCAR and MLS

No Olympics? No problem. Sports licensing still thrived in 2015 at just below $14.8 billion in U.S./Canada sales, according to TLL's Annual Licensing Business Survey. For the second year in a row, sports outperformed every other sector with the exception of entertainment. Its 4.8% increase was double U.S. GDP growth (2.6%) and easily exceeded the 3.6% overall industry-wide … [Read more...] about 4.8% Growth in Retail Sales of Sports-Licensed Goods in 2015: Stellar Years for MLB, NBA, NASCAR and MLS

DraftKings Plays Ball With MLB Clubs

DraftKings, the official daily fantasy sports partner of MLB, cut a separate deal with 27 of the League’s 30 clubs that will allow users to get exclusive content on the DraftKings iPhone app and integration with MLB’s own At Bat app. The Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays are the only clubs that aren’t participating because their states/province treat … [Read more...] about DraftKings Plays Ball With MLB Clubs

Digital Deals

By Glenn Demby You Gotta Have Hart: Hannah Hart is the latest YouTube star to cash in on her digital celebrity by inking a multi-year deal with women's multichannel network Kin Community for brand integrations, media opportunities and new programming production. Play Puck!: MLB Advanced Media will pay the NHL $600 million over 6 years for the right to broadcast and stream … [Read more...] about Digital Deals

Pro Sports Licensed Retail Sales Score 5% Increase in 2014: Most Leagues Grow, Driven by Apparel

This is a golden age for pro sports in North America. You can see it in not only the record TV ratings and attendance figures, but also at the cash registers. According to The Licensing Letter's Annual Licensing Business Survey , retail sales of licensed sports goods topped $14.1 billion in 2014. Sports properties now account for 14.1% of all licensed goods sold in the U.S. and … [Read more...] about Pro Sports Licensed Retail Sales Score 5% Increase in 2014: Most Leagues Grow, Driven by Apparel

MLB & Majestic Re-up

Continuing a partnership that started in 1982, Majestic Athletic will remain the uniform licensee of Major League Baseball Properties through 2019 with exclusive rights to design, produce and distribute on-field uniforms, authentic collection apparel, replica jerseys and other men’s and women’s fan apparel for all 30 MLB teams. MLB jersey sales were strong in 2014, despite the … [Read more...] about MLB & Majestic Re-up