YouTube is ranked No. 1 for kids, Snapchat goes public, toy brands get content, and others get social for the Superbowl…
DIGITAL CELEBRITIES
TLL Survey: Nascent Digital Celebs Sector Rivals Entertainment/Character for Growth
September 16, 2016
Relative to the rest of licensing, retail sales of goods licensed by digital celebrities grew with the speed of a viral video in 2015, spiking 8% to approach…
Business
M&A & Expansions
August 26, 2016
Keep track of the latest business moves to impact the licensing industry.
Featuring: Coty, William Morris Endeavor, YouTube, Twitch, Urban Expositions and more…
DIGITAL CELEBRITIES
YouTubers Ride Streaming Services Toward Mainstream
July 1, 2016
Top digital celebrities including Grace Helbig, Cameron Dallas and Miranda Sings (aka Colleen Ballinger) continue to edge their…
TECHNOLOGY
New Frontiers in VR
November 23, 2015
As traditional linear entertainment is falling by the wayside, certain emerging technologies are paving new roads for us to interact with…
New Licensing Model
Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Merchandising Campaign: Bigger & Earlier than Anything Before
September 8, 2015
The timing between movie release and merchandising is a perennial challenge in movie licensing. Historically, merchandise associated with an anticipated blockbuster appears on store shelves around six weeks before release. But several of the entertainment executives we interviewed last spring for The Licensing Letter’s 2014 Annual Licensing Business Survey predicted…
Movie Licensing
Disney Opens 15 Week Merchandise Window for Star Wars
September 4, 2015
When The Licensing Letter spoke to entertainment executives for our Annual Licensing Business Survey back in the spring, several sources predicted that movie-based licensed merchandise this fall would begin to appear in stores earlier than ever, with end-of-year movies loading merchandise into stores as soon as September. The expected leader of that trend: Disney/Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which competitors also predicted would mount the biggest licensing campaign in history…
Digital Celebs
As YouTube Celebrities Gain Influence over Teens, Their Licensing Clout Is Bound to Grow
August 7, 2015
YouTube stars continue to gain influence over U.S. teens, with the platform’s top creators viewed as much more approachable, authentic and engaging than mainstream celebrities. From a licensing perspective, many of the video platform’s top creators actually have…