In this year’s edition of TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey, we introduced new questions specifically targeting the impact of COVID-19 on respondents’ licensing business. Note that the Survey was administered throughout March, and earlier responses predated many of the major impacts of Covid-19, such as the effective shut-down of several major metropolitan cities. As a consequence, we expect these responses to shift as time goes on. We’re hosting a follow-up survey at https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/tll-salary in connection with TLL’s 2020 Salary Survey, to help track the individualized effects of Covid-19 on the licensing industry as well as the licensing executives that keep it going. As always, all responses are confidential and any potentially identifiable information is redacted. When asked how immediately direct the impact of Covid-19 on their business was, just… . . . read more
Breaking Down TLL’s Annual Survey
Every year we strive to bring you the most representative figures behind the licensing business. To that end, TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey is one of the most powerful tools we use to better serve you. Here are the number’s behind this year’s Survey. Breaking out the respondents by function, 39% work as licensees, 26% as licensors, 24% as agents, and the remaining 12% as consultants, service providers, and retailers. When asked to estimate the amount of annual retail sales of licensed product respondents were responsible for managing, licensing executives working as licensors reported the greatest amount, on average, with over $200 million in licensing business each (responses ranged from $25,000 to $2 billion). The average licensee oversaw $25 million worth of licensed retail sales, ranging from $50,000 to $450… . . . read more
Average Industry-Wide Royalty Rate Up 0.7 Percentage Points to Reach 8.87% in 2019
The average royalty rate for consumer products licensing contracts jumped 0.7 percentage points to reach 8.87% in 2019, according to TLL’s 2019–2020 Licensing Business Survey. Since 2010, the industry-wide average royalty rate within the U.S. and Canada has grown by a mere 0.3 percentage points to reach 8.87% in 2019. Over that same time period, the 10-year average rate reached 8.73%. This last year marks the highest overall average royalty rate since 2004, when TLL recorded a rate of 9.4%. TLL first began tracking royalty rate data since 1986, and by property type and product category since 2001. The average change in royalty rates was flat within the U.S. and Canada, with the average rate increasing slightly by less than 0.1 percentage points. Only 6% of respondents to the Survey… . . . read more
Licensing Execs Report More Minimum Guarantee Commitments
Over 80% of licensing executives indicated that they are required to, or require their licensees to, make minimum guaranteed payments in 2018, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey…
Licensed Retail Sales Flirt With $175 Billion Mark in 2018
Global licensed retail sales reached $174.54 billion in 2018, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. At just 1.8% growth, this has been the slowest year TLL has tracked since 2013…
Average Royalty Rates Inch Up by 0.2% in 2018: Ent/Char Drives Increases in Property Types
The average royalty rate across all property types and product categories edged up 0.2% in 2018 to reach 8.81% in the U.S./Canada, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. Since 2006…
Cosmetics, Toys & Electronics Drive Increases in Industry-wide Royalties in 2018
Roughly two-thirds of the product categories TLL tracks saw nominal bumps in industry-wide royalties in 2018, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey…
Global Corporate TM/Brand-based Sales Up 2.6% to Reach $37 Billion in 2017
Licensed retail sales of corporate trademark/brand-based merchandise were up 2.6% worldwide in 2017, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. The U.S./Canada…
Soft Goods, Home Lead Domestic Corporate TM/Brand Licensed Sales in 2017
Licensed retail sales of corporate trademark/brand merchandise grew 2.5% to reach $29.2 billion in 2017. The biggest drivers behind the roughly $710 million…
Licensed Trademark/Brand-based Ecommerce Sales Jump 5.8% in 2017
Discounters, supermarkets/grocery, and ecommerce made the biggest gains in share of licensed retail sales in 2017 in the U.S./Canada…