Below is Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products' (VNCP) "Nickelodeon. Every Age. Every Aisle. Everywhere." September 2019 Licensing Source supplement, featuring Viacom's highlights from the past year and upcoming highlights for the year ahead!:
![]()
At Viacom we are incredibly proud of our diverse range of brands and properties that resonate with all from pre-school through to adults. Our strength in the market is unsurprising, as humour, innovation and authenticity pulse across our diverse portfolio.
We continue to expand with a multitude of amazing brands such as YouTube sensation Ryan's World, the iconic Garfield and the return of Blue's Clues. PAW Patrol, now in its sixth year, maintains its number one preschool position for the fourth year in a row, dominating on channel, digital and retail aisles. Aside from channel we continue to stay abreast with the changing media landscape; recognising the importance of influencers and increasing the footprint of our attractions. As we look to 2020, we're excited to invest and simultaneously extend our offering across our brands to remain the number one entertainment partner of choice.
Here's a few highlights from our portfolio...
RYAN'S WORLD
![]()
• Ryan is the #2 UK influencer.
• New preschool show on Nick Jr. – Ryan's Mystery Playdate.
• Ryan's Mystery Playdate is the #1 show for preschoolers on ALL of television in the US
• Ryan's World toys due to deliver over +$150M worth of retail sales globally in 2019.
• Additional CP categories for Ryan's Mystery Playdate rolling out in SS20.
PAW PATROL
![]()
• #1 preschool property since 2016.
• 91% global brand awareness.
• $1B in retail sales globally per year.
• Second theatrical, Ready Race Rescue will be coming to UK cinemas February 2020.
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
![]()
• SpongeBob SquarePants is back on Channel 5 at weekends.
• SpongeBob SquarePants is mentioned on social media every four seconds.
• Feature-length film coming May 2020, starring Snoop Dogg!
• New master toy partner, Alpha Group has reinvigorated the CP programme.
• New animated spin-off, Kamp Koral launches on NickToons in the UK August 2020.
BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES
![]()
• #3 property on Nick Jr.
• Globally, Blaze receives 70M average quarterly views.
• Season five launches on Nick Jr. in the UK in January 2020.
• Key categories include toys, publishing, apparel and DVD.
PARAMOUNT
![]()
• Top Gun Maverick lands in UK cinemas on 17 July 2020. Watch the Top Gun Maverick trailer here
• Rumble, a wrestling-inspired film from Paramount Animation, comes to cinemas August 2020.
• Look out for CP from Paramount's back catalogue including: Clueless, Mean Girls and Grease.
SOUTH PARK
![]()
• Episodes available on Comedy Central, Netflix, Amazon and YouTube.
• New consumer products across apparel, gifting and collectables target the ever-growing loyal fan base.
• Over the years toy partner, Funko has produced many different Pop! vinyl figures from the South Park series.
MTV
![]()
• Number 1 music network in the UK.
• MTV UK performance is up 17% YOY.
• Recent fashion collabs include H&M and Puma.
• Engagement on social streams increased 76% in 2018.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
![]()
PAW Patrol characters come to life in brick-form with Brick Live. The first stop this summer was Blackburn with 1,000 families a day visiting the interactive exhibit. The exhibit will continue to travel the UK this year and into 2020.
This October SLIMEFEST returns for its fourth year at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, with 12,000 people set to attend the six sold out shows.
Mighty Pups - the latest PAW theatrical - released in cinemas this past May, surpassed the box office sales target reaching over £1.5M.
For licensing and retail opportunities contact viacomnickelodeoncp@viacom.com.
###
From the September/October 2019 issue of Progressive Preschool:
With the Brand
[...]
Success also continues apace for PAW Patrol - now in its sixth year it remains the number one preschool licensed property. "The pups have truly cemented themselves as a evergreen franchise," enthuses Marianne James, vp of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products UK, Northern & Eastern Europe. "We continue to partner with Spin Master to introduce fresh new content themes and product ranges for fans. For spring 2020, a feature-length special episode - PAW Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue - will be released in cinemas nationwide to bring further product opportunities. Partners including Sambro, Crayola, Aykroyds, Fashion UK and Bioworld will create new products reflective of the theme."
Meanwhile, products - led by toys - for Nickelodeon's newest preschool property, Top Wing, launched this year through master toy partner, Hasbro. This was swiftly followed by publishing in April and apparel in September. Top Wing also flew into VUE cinemas with special screenings of episodes across 89 UK sites. Series [season] two launches on Nick Jr. in September with the cadets getting fresh new character outfits and vehicles.
Nickelodeon has also confirmed a partnership with Pocket.watch for preschool series, Ryan's Mystery Playdate (launching in the UK in September with series two due in Autumn 2020), while it will also manage licensing in select international markets across all product categories for both Ryan's Mystery Playdate and Ryan's World.
###
From the October 2019 issue of Toy World Magazine:
Nick be nimble
Toy World spoke to Marianne James, VP, Consumer Products, Commercial Partnerships & Experiences, UK, Northern & Eastern Europe about what the current Nickelodeon portfolio has to offer licensee and retailer partners.
How has 2019 been for Nickelodeon?
This year has seen continued change and newness for the brand, as we launched new TV series with Butterbean’s Café and Abby Hatcher, as well as new consumer products with Top Wing and Sunny Day. Paw Patrol has seen a broader expansion of its franchise into multiple touchpoints, including its first UK cinema outing with the hugely successful Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups. The showing beat its target of £1.5m, which we're now looking to build on with the next theatrical release, Paw Patrol: Ready Race Rescue, in February 2020. Looking forward, we're very excited about representing Ryan's World and Ryan's Mystery Playdate, as we head towards the New Year.
What have been your standout successes so far this year?
This year, we celebrated six years of Paw Patrol. We're delighted that the property remains the No.1 pre-school license, driven in part by our refreshed themes and content. We also launched Top Wing across our free to air Channel 5 network, with an incredible monthly average reach of over 600,000 kids. Top Wing has also seen an extremely successful launch by our master toy partner Hasbro, along with apparel and publishing.
How have you found the retail landscape for licensed products over the past nine months?
It would be remiss to say it's challenging. However, with challenge comes opportunity. Remaining nimble and offering a variety of promotional and marketing solutions with multiple touchpoints is a key contributor to success.
With latest NPD figures showing a decline in licensed toy sales for the fourth consecutive year (YoY), what can Nickelodeon and its partners do to ensure demand for product remains high?
For the right brands, there is still a great opportunity to grow great sales value. We believe that Ryan's World is a great example of this; a content creator who is achieving fantastic viewership online, and is now expanding in to the consumer products arena, with initial results proving very successful. We are excited about the opportunity to grow into new categories in the near future, epitomising our current strategy of establishing multiple consumer product pipelines to ensure that the Nickelodeon brand thrives across 'Every Age, Every Aisle, Everywhere.'
What big properties are you most excited about for 2020?
We expect movies to explode again in 2020. The return of the Top Gun franchise with Top Gun: Maverick by Paramount Pictures will likely prove to be one of the biggest hits of 2020, while we have a number of other new movies to energise the market, including the return of SpongeBob in this 3rd feature length film. We're also excited to introduce Rumble - a new animated monster wrestling movie from Paramount - set to be released in 2020.
What makes Nickelodeon a great partner for licensees?
We have a hugely passionate licensing team who is flexible, approachable and creative - there's always a way to achieve creativity and success. Our flexibility and experience are critical components to our success. It's what sets us apart and ensures we sustain long term partnerships in the industry, with a solutions-focused approach.
###
Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products (VNCP) will showcase its animation, pre-school, youth and adult licences at this year's Brand Licensing Europe, reinforcing its 'Every Age, Every Aisle, Everywhere' strategy. Iconic franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants, Paw Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be display alongside new IP acquisitions including Garfield and Ryan's Mystery Playdate.
Nickelodeon's mission is to be the home for the biggest franchises kids love. Consumer favourite SpongeBob SquarePants - celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year - continues to be a leading license, and recently announced spin-off Kamp Koral will grow the franchise further new new stories and characters introduced to the SpongeBob universe.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has continued to expand and entertain audiences of all ages, old and new, with a mix of new content, consumer products and on-the-ground experiences to drive fan excitement as the crime-fighting turtles celebrate their 35th anniversary.
Continued investment in pre-school properties is led by Paw Patrol, with new content themes and storylines, characters and product categories being added every year, growing the franchise and its properties and building it into one of the company's biggest brands.
Nickelodeon has welcomed Blue's Clues & You! and Ryan's World/Ryan's Mystery Playdate to its pre-school portfolio, while the acquisition of Garfield has helped maintain Nickelodeon's position of the place to go for the most popular franchises in family entertainment.
The company expects movies to come to the forefront. The return of the Top Gun franchise with Top Gun: Maverick by Paramount Pictures will undoubtedly prove to be one of the biggest hits of 2020, while other new movies to energise the market include the return of SpongeBob in his third feature-length film - The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge. Exciting new movie Rumble, Nickelodeon's new animated monster wrestling movie, is set to be released in 2020.
###
From Licensing Source:
“BLE is hugely important and a fantastic platform”
As the show opens its doors at ExCeL, Source asks some key licensors what BLE means to them.
Brand Licensing Europe 2019 officially opens its doors today, with the industry set to head over to the new venue of ExCeL London in their droves to check out the latest brands, trends and developments.
The event – which is marking its 21st anniversary this year and runs from October 1 to October 3 – is a key platform for licensors and agents, as a number exclusively told Source.
[...]
Meanwhile, Marianne James, vp of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products UK, Northern and Eastern Europe, simply described the show as “the perfect forum”.
“BLE is a key time of the year for us, as it is attended by the European key players in the industry across licensing and retail,” commented Marianne. “Here, we have the perfect forum to present and provide greater insight into our key franchises and initiatives, as well as inform and update the market on the exciting plans we have for our many properties across Nickelodeon, Paramount, MTV and Comedy Central.”
###
From License Global:
WHAT’S #TRENDING AT BLE 2019?
While walking the BLE showfloor, attending seminars and talking to exhibitors, License Global picked up on key trends that are defining the way the licensing community does business.
Brand Licensing Europe took place this week (Oct. 1-3) at London’s ExCeL. While walking the show, attending seminars and talking to exhibitors, License Global picked up on key trends that are defining the way the licensing community does business.
Fashion has a Sustainable Future
Fashion, the core theme of BLE 2020, was teased everywhere at this year’s ExCeL debut. Mannequins featuring some of the most progressive collaborations – from retail appeal to haute-couture design – lined the show, and the discussion of fashion’s place in licensing is just as apparent.
“Fashion licensing is at an interesting place right now,” says Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets, the organizer of BLE. “There’s so much going on, from sustainability discussions to haute couture collaborations. It’s providing a new way to open up brands and we want to shine a light on that, show how experiential it has been and how it links back to brands, lifestyle and art. Fashion and licensing is Zeitgeist-led, it’s visual, on-trend, inclusive and ticks all of our boxes for BLE 2020.”
With carefully considered collaborations showing no sign of slowing down, this also comes with the conversation of how these pieces are created in the future. Sustainably sourced materials and ethical collaborations are making noise (such as Tiger Tim’s partnership launch with Cotton Made in Africa, announced at BLE), and as fast fashion retail experiences stressors (think the recent Chapter 11 filing for Forever 21), this new balance could signal from consumers a sea change in how they allocate their spending.
Heritage Licensing Becomes an Export
U.K. heritage licensing has gone from small, niche gifting products to carefully curated consumer products in demand across the globe. These brands are now known for licensing artistic and educational archives with genuine authenticity, and the latest revolutions on display at the Heritage x Interiors activation stands are a testament to the work underway in new verticals.
U.K. heritage licensing has become an export, making its way to new markets such as China. The V&A is one such brand leading the way in new territories.
“It’s been a year of success and growth in China for V&A brand licensing who have been working with their exclusive agent in the country, Alfilo Brands, to push forward ambitious plans for licensing, retail collaborations and pop-up stores,” says Lauren Sizeland, head, business and licensing development, V&A. “In the last year, the V&A has grown the number of licensees within East Asia by 15 percent. Recent collaborations include a range of luxury luggage from ITO, inspired by 1920s art deco travel posters; three collections from lifestyle retail store The Beast, including The Modern Times range featuring mugs, candles, diffusers and prints, and the Beauty in Bloom range with silk pajamas and scarves; arts-and-crafts-themed tea giftsets with Twinings; and a shoe collection with Basto, who reworked the V&A archive of travel posters and Japanese Ukiyo-e prints into an exceptional footwear collection.”
This push into China with intricately designed projects is also leading the V&A to learn more about the consumer tastes of the region to increase their focus and develop new products.
Big Brands are Getting Better with Age
Major milestone anniversaries are being celebrated across the show floor, with Hasbro bringing the long-lasting brand of Monopoly to the people in special editions for its 85th, Batman marking his 80th across the year with global projects and gaming icons Activision and “Pac-Man” continuing to grow at 40.
“Thomas & Friends” is also marking its 75th, and as brands mark more milestones, the consumer products are starting to reflect not only decades of growth, but a future of creativity in terms of product design.
Rovio’s 10th anniversary brought forward a new collaboration with K-Swiss, for example, that takes the color and the mischief of the mobile game and brings it straight back to the personality-driven consumer market.
Publishing is having a moment too as classic continues to stay in style. Peter Rabbit continues to display innovative licensing programs, while Horrible Histories matures into a retro property as author Terry Deary gave us his insight into the property at BLE’s publishing activation, Beyond the Book.
The Players have Spoken
Gaming continues to grow as esports, multiplayer and narrative-driven content experiences keep us coming back to our consoles. The list of exhibitors on display at BLE 2019, from Playstation and Nintendo to Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, Sybo Games and Rovio, means the gaming industry investment in licensing is real, and as the gaming culture continues to grow, so will the business opportunities.
A central highlight of BLE was The Arcade, a gaming and esports activation that celebrated gaming history and allowed visitors to interact and engage with properties and product from participating brands such Rovio, Sega, Difuzed, Bandai Namco, Disguise, Activision, Bioworld and Sybo.
Long Live the Movie Franchise
If there’s one trend to re-appear year-on-year, it’s the long-lasting appeal of sequels, reboots and title returns. With “Trolls: World Tour” and “Minions 2” being presented with pride by Universal, or “Wonder Woman: 1984” by Warner Bros., “Top Gun: Maverick” by Viacom Nickelodeon and “Ghostbusters” by Sony Pictures, the consumers are driving huge demand to see the characters they love again and again and that there is guaranteed pick-up at retail for such properties.
“We no longer license movies, we actively build licensed franchises and sequels as an integral part of our content strategy,” says Hannah Mungo, country director, U.K. and Eire, Universal Brand Development. “They allow us to introduce new characters, themes and music and they provide an event moment for retailers and licensees to build new and refreshed programs around. In a world of disruption and fragmentation, consumers are looking for strong and stable brands that they know and trust, sequels answer this brief by affording fans the opportunity to build deeper and more meaningful connections with our properties.”
“Franchises such as ‘Ghostbusters’ have a built-in audience that grow from generation to generation,” explains Jamie Stevens, executive vice president, worldwide consumer products, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “For licensing, it gives us the opportunity to provide products that feed the super fans as well as new consumers who are entering the franchise for the first time.”
“Retailers are placing big bets on movie franchises, and Paramount Pictures’ ‘Top Gun Maverick’ and ‘The SpongeBob Movie’ are two great examples,” says Mark Kingston, senior vice president, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “These franchises have strong emotional connections with generations of fans, and retailers know that the appetite for special-edition product will be strong. Movie releases also give a nice boost for our everyday ‘Spongebob’ and ‘Top Gun’ business.”
###
More Nick:Nickelodeon Embarks on New Direction with its Biggest, Most Wide-Ranging Content Slate Ever!
Originally published: Wednesday, September 25, 2019.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon International and Viacom News and Highlights!
Nickelodeon. Every Age. Every Aisle. Everywhere.
At Viacom we are incredibly proud of our diverse range of brands and properties that resonate with all from pre-school through to adults. Our strength in the market is unsurprising, as humour, innovation and authenticity pulse across our diverse portfolio.
We continue to expand with a multitude of amazing brands such as YouTube sensation Ryan's World, the iconic Garfield and the return of Blue's Clues. PAW Patrol, now in its sixth year, maintains its number one preschool position for the fourth year in a row, dominating on channel, digital and retail aisles. Aside from channel we continue to stay abreast with the changing media landscape; recognising the importance of influencers and increasing the footprint of our attractions. As we look to 2020, we're excited to invest and simultaneously extend our offering across our brands to remain the number one entertainment partner of choice.
Here's a few highlights from our portfolio...
RYAN'S WORLD
• Ryan is the #2 UK influencer.
• New preschool show on Nick Jr. – Ryan's Mystery Playdate.
• Ryan's Mystery Playdate is the #1 show for preschoolers on ALL of television in the US
• Ryan's World toys due to deliver over +$150M worth of retail sales globally in 2019.
• Additional CP categories for Ryan's Mystery Playdate rolling out in SS20.
PAW PATROL
• #1 preschool property since 2016.
• 91% global brand awareness.
• $1B in retail sales globally per year.
• Second theatrical, Ready Race Rescue will be coming to UK cinemas February 2020.
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
• SpongeBob SquarePants is back on Channel 5 at weekends.
• SpongeBob SquarePants is mentioned on social media every four seconds.
• Feature-length film coming May 2020, starring Snoop Dogg!
• New master toy partner, Alpha Group has reinvigorated the CP programme.
• New animated spin-off, Kamp Koral launches on NickToons in the UK August 2020.
BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES
• #3 property on Nick Jr.
• Globally, Blaze receives 70M average quarterly views.
• Season five launches on Nick Jr. in the UK in January 2020.
• Key categories include toys, publishing, apparel and DVD.
PARAMOUNT
• Top Gun Maverick lands in UK cinemas on 17 July 2020. Watch the Top Gun Maverick trailer here
• Rumble, a wrestling-inspired film from Paramount Animation, comes to cinemas August 2020.
• Look out for CP from Paramount's back catalogue including: Clueless, Mean Girls and Grease.
SOUTH PARK
• Episodes available on Comedy Central, Netflix, Amazon and YouTube.
• New consumer products across apparel, gifting and collectables target the ever-growing loyal fan base.
• Over the years toy partner, Funko has produced many different Pop! vinyl figures from the South Park series.
MTV
• Number 1 music network in the UK.
• MTV UK performance is up 17% YOY.
• Recent fashion collabs include H&M and Puma.
• Engagement on social streams increased 76% in 2018.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
PAW Patrol characters come to life in brick-form with Brick Live. The first stop this summer was Blackburn with 1,000 families a day visiting the interactive exhibit. The exhibit will continue to travel the UK this year and into 2020.
This October SLIMEFEST returns for its fourth year at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, with 12,000 people set to attend the six sold out shows.
Mighty Pups - the latest PAW theatrical - released in cinemas this past May, surpassed the box office sales target reaching over £1.5M.
For licensing and retail opportunities contact viacomnickelodeoncp@viacom.com.
From the September/October 2019 issue of Progressive Preschool:
With the Brand
[...]
Success also continues apace for PAW Patrol - now in its sixth year it remains the number one preschool licensed property. "The pups have truly cemented themselves as a evergreen franchise," enthuses Marianne James, vp of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products UK, Northern & Eastern Europe. "We continue to partner with Spin Master to introduce fresh new content themes and product ranges for fans. For spring 2020, a feature-length special episode - PAW Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue - will be released in cinemas nationwide to bring further product opportunities. Partners including Sambro, Crayola, Aykroyds, Fashion UK and Bioworld will create new products reflective of the theme."
Meanwhile, products - led by toys - for Nickelodeon's newest preschool property, Top Wing, launched this year through master toy partner, Hasbro. This was swiftly followed by publishing in April and apparel in September. Top Wing also flew into VUE cinemas with special screenings of episodes across 89 UK sites. Series [season] two launches on Nick Jr. in September with the cadets getting fresh new character outfits and vehicles.
Nickelodeon has also confirmed a partnership with Pocket.watch for preschool series, Ryan's Mystery Playdate (launching in the UK in September with series two due in Autumn 2020), while it will also manage licensing in select international markets across all product categories for both Ryan's Mystery Playdate and Ryan's World.
###
From the October 2019 issue of Toy World Magazine:
Nick be nimble
Toy World spoke to Marianne James, VP, Consumer Products, Commercial Partnerships & Experiences, UK, Northern & Eastern Europe about what the current Nickelodeon portfolio has to offer licensee and retailer partners.
How has 2019 been for Nickelodeon?
This year has seen continued change and newness for the brand, as we launched new TV series with Butterbean’s Café and Abby Hatcher, as well as new consumer products with Top Wing and Sunny Day. Paw Patrol has seen a broader expansion of its franchise into multiple touchpoints, including its first UK cinema outing with the hugely successful Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups. The showing beat its target of £1.5m, which we're now looking to build on with the next theatrical release, Paw Patrol: Ready Race Rescue, in February 2020. Looking forward, we're very excited about representing Ryan's World and Ryan's Mystery Playdate, as we head towards the New Year.
What have been your standout successes so far this year?
This year, we celebrated six years of Paw Patrol. We're delighted that the property remains the No.1 pre-school license, driven in part by our refreshed themes and content. We also launched Top Wing across our free to air Channel 5 network, with an incredible monthly average reach of over 600,000 kids. Top Wing has also seen an extremely successful launch by our master toy partner Hasbro, along with apparel and publishing.
How have you found the retail landscape for licensed products over the past nine months?
It would be remiss to say it's challenging. However, with challenge comes opportunity. Remaining nimble and offering a variety of promotional and marketing solutions with multiple touchpoints is a key contributor to success.
With latest NPD figures showing a decline in licensed toy sales for the fourth consecutive year (YoY), what can Nickelodeon and its partners do to ensure demand for product remains high?
For the right brands, there is still a great opportunity to grow great sales value. We believe that Ryan's World is a great example of this; a content creator who is achieving fantastic viewership online, and is now expanding in to the consumer products arena, with initial results proving very successful. We are excited about the opportunity to grow into new categories in the near future, epitomising our current strategy of establishing multiple consumer product pipelines to ensure that the Nickelodeon brand thrives across 'Every Age, Every Aisle, Everywhere.'
What big properties are you most excited about for 2020?
We expect movies to explode again in 2020. The return of the Top Gun franchise with Top Gun: Maverick by Paramount Pictures will likely prove to be one of the biggest hits of 2020, while we have a number of other new movies to energise the market, including the return of SpongeBob in this 3rd feature length film. We're also excited to introduce Rumble - a new animated monster wrestling movie from Paramount - set to be released in 2020.
What makes Nickelodeon a great partner for licensees?
We have a hugely passionate licensing team who is flexible, approachable and creative - there's always a way to achieve creativity and success. Our flexibility and experience are critical components to our success. It's what sets us apart and ensures we sustain long term partnerships in the industry, with a solutions-focused approach.
###
Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products (VNCP) will showcase its animation, pre-school, youth and adult licences at this year's Brand Licensing Europe, reinforcing its 'Every Age, Every Aisle, Everywhere' strategy. Iconic franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants, Paw Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be display alongside new IP acquisitions including Garfield and Ryan's Mystery Playdate.
Nickelodeon's mission is to be the home for the biggest franchises kids love. Consumer favourite SpongeBob SquarePants - celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year - continues to be a leading license, and recently announced spin-off Kamp Koral will grow the franchise further new new stories and characters introduced to the SpongeBob universe.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has continued to expand and entertain audiences of all ages, old and new, with a mix of new content, consumer products and on-the-ground experiences to drive fan excitement as the crime-fighting turtles celebrate their 35th anniversary.
Continued investment in pre-school properties is led by Paw Patrol, with new content themes and storylines, characters and product categories being added every year, growing the franchise and its properties and building it into one of the company's biggest brands.
Nickelodeon has welcomed Blue's Clues & You! and Ryan's World/Ryan's Mystery Playdate to its pre-school portfolio, while the acquisition of Garfield has helped maintain Nickelodeon's position of the place to go for the most popular franchises in family entertainment.
The company expects movies to come to the forefront. The return of the Top Gun franchise with Top Gun: Maverick by Paramount Pictures will undoubtedly prove to be one of the biggest hits of 2020, while other new movies to energise the market include the return of SpongeBob in his third feature-length film - The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge. Exciting new movie Rumble, Nickelodeon's new animated monster wrestling movie, is set to be released in 2020.
###
From Licensing Source:
“BLE is hugely important and a fantastic platform”
As the show opens its doors at ExCeL, Source asks some key licensors what BLE means to them.
Brand Licensing Europe 2019 officially opens its doors today, with the industry set to head over to the new venue of ExCeL London in their droves to check out the latest brands, trends and developments.
The event – which is marking its 21st anniversary this year and runs from October 1 to October 3 – is a key platform for licensors and agents, as a number exclusively told Source.
[...]
Meanwhile, Marianne James, vp of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products UK, Northern and Eastern Europe, simply described the show as “the perfect forum”.
“BLE is a key time of the year for us, as it is attended by the European key players in the industry across licensing and retail,” commented Marianne. “Here, we have the perfect forum to present and provide greater insight into our key franchises and initiatives, as well as inform and update the market on the exciting plans we have for our many properties across Nickelodeon, Paramount, MTV and Comedy Central.”
###
From License Global:
WHAT’S #TRENDING AT BLE 2019?
While walking the BLE showfloor, attending seminars and talking to exhibitors, License Global picked up on key trends that are defining the way the licensing community does business.
Brand Licensing Europe took place this week (Oct. 1-3) at London’s ExCeL. While walking the show, attending seminars and talking to exhibitors, License Global picked up on key trends that are defining the way the licensing community does business.
Fashion has a Sustainable Future
Fashion, the core theme of BLE 2020, was teased everywhere at this year’s ExCeL debut. Mannequins featuring some of the most progressive collaborations – from retail appeal to haute-couture design – lined the show, and the discussion of fashion’s place in licensing is just as apparent.
“Fashion licensing is at an interesting place right now,” says Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets, the organizer of BLE. “There’s so much going on, from sustainability discussions to haute couture collaborations. It’s providing a new way to open up brands and we want to shine a light on that, show how experiential it has been and how it links back to brands, lifestyle and art. Fashion and licensing is Zeitgeist-led, it’s visual, on-trend, inclusive and ticks all of our boxes for BLE 2020.”
With carefully considered collaborations showing no sign of slowing down, this also comes with the conversation of how these pieces are created in the future. Sustainably sourced materials and ethical collaborations are making noise (such as Tiger Tim’s partnership launch with Cotton Made in Africa, announced at BLE), and as fast fashion retail experiences stressors (think the recent Chapter 11 filing for Forever 21), this new balance could signal from consumers a sea change in how they allocate their spending.
Heritage Licensing Becomes an Export
U.K. heritage licensing has gone from small, niche gifting products to carefully curated consumer products in demand across the globe. These brands are now known for licensing artistic and educational archives with genuine authenticity, and the latest revolutions on display at the Heritage x Interiors activation stands are a testament to the work underway in new verticals.
U.K. heritage licensing has become an export, making its way to new markets such as China. The V&A is one such brand leading the way in new territories.
“It’s been a year of success and growth in China for V&A brand licensing who have been working with their exclusive agent in the country, Alfilo Brands, to push forward ambitious plans for licensing, retail collaborations and pop-up stores,” says Lauren Sizeland, head, business and licensing development, V&A. “In the last year, the V&A has grown the number of licensees within East Asia by 15 percent. Recent collaborations include a range of luxury luggage from ITO, inspired by 1920s art deco travel posters; three collections from lifestyle retail store The Beast, including The Modern Times range featuring mugs, candles, diffusers and prints, and the Beauty in Bloom range with silk pajamas and scarves; arts-and-crafts-themed tea giftsets with Twinings; and a shoe collection with Basto, who reworked the V&A archive of travel posters and Japanese Ukiyo-e prints into an exceptional footwear collection.”
This push into China with intricately designed projects is also leading the V&A to learn more about the consumer tastes of the region to increase their focus and develop new products.
Big Brands are Getting Better with Age
Major milestone anniversaries are being celebrated across the show floor, with Hasbro bringing the long-lasting brand of Monopoly to the people in special editions for its 85th, Batman marking his 80th across the year with global projects and gaming icons Activision and “Pac-Man” continuing to grow at 40.
“Thomas & Friends” is also marking its 75th, and as brands mark more milestones, the consumer products are starting to reflect not only decades of growth, but a future of creativity in terms of product design.
Rovio’s 10th anniversary brought forward a new collaboration with K-Swiss, for example, that takes the color and the mischief of the mobile game and brings it straight back to the personality-driven consumer market.
Publishing is having a moment too as classic continues to stay in style. Peter Rabbit continues to display innovative licensing programs, while Horrible Histories matures into a retro property as author Terry Deary gave us his insight into the property at BLE’s publishing activation, Beyond the Book.
The Players have Spoken
Gaming continues to grow as esports, multiplayer and narrative-driven content experiences keep us coming back to our consoles. The list of exhibitors on display at BLE 2019, from Playstation and Nintendo to Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, Sybo Games and Rovio, means the gaming industry investment in licensing is real, and as the gaming culture continues to grow, so will the business opportunities.
A central highlight of BLE was The Arcade, a gaming and esports activation that celebrated gaming history and allowed visitors to interact and engage with properties and product from participating brands such Rovio, Sega, Difuzed, Bandai Namco, Disguise, Activision, Bioworld and Sybo.
Long Live the Movie Franchise
If there’s one trend to re-appear year-on-year, it’s the long-lasting appeal of sequels, reboots and title returns. With “Trolls: World Tour” and “Minions 2” being presented with pride by Universal, or “Wonder Woman: 1984” by Warner Bros., “Top Gun: Maverick” by Viacom Nickelodeon and “Ghostbusters” by Sony Pictures, the consumers are driving huge demand to see the characters they love again and again and that there is guaranteed pick-up at retail for such properties.
“We no longer license movies, we actively build licensed franchises and sequels as an integral part of our content strategy,” says Hannah Mungo, country director, U.K. and Eire, Universal Brand Development. “They allow us to introduce new characters, themes and music and they provide an event moment for retailers and licensees to build new and refreshed programs around. In a world of disruption and fragmentation, consumers are looking for strong and stable brands that they know and trust, sequels answer this brief by affording fans the opportunity to build deeper and more meaningful connections with our properties.”
“Franchises such as ‘Ghostbusters’ have a built-in audience that grow from generation to generation,” explains Jamie Stevens, executive vice president, worldwide consumer products, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “For licensing, it gives us the opportunity to provide products that feed the super fans as well as new consumers who are entering the franchise for the first time.”
“Retailers are placing big bets on movie franchises, and Paramount Pictures’ ‘Top Gun Maverick’ and ‘The SpongeBob Movie’ are two great examples,” says Mark Kingston, senior vice president, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “These franchises have strong emotional connections with generations of fans, and retailers know that the appetite for special-edition product will be strong. Movie releases also give a nice boost for our everyday ‘Spongebob’ and ‘Top Gun’ business.”
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Originally published: Wednesday, September 25, 2019.
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