Most of the attention when it comes to licensed properties with digital origins—e.g., downloading, streaming, social media—has historically been on influencers, entertainment properties, and games. Add to that list a growing number of brands associated with distribution platforms and lifestyle destinations, which have been proliferating in the licensing and experiential arenas since early 2017. Among […]
Archive | Digital
From Platform to Product
The role of Internet- and mobile-based content distribution and social media platforms in the licensing business traditionally has been twofold. First, the sites provide distribution and awareness for licensable properties. Second and more recently, they have been offering assistance and guidance to help the IP owners they distribute launch their own licensing efforts. A third […]
Living the Lifestyle
Over the past two years, lifestyle blogs that speak to young women have been slowly and steadily extending into branded products, sometimes through licensing or collaborations and sometimes managed in-house. Some examples: Brit + Co., overseen by Brit Morin, launched its first significant product extension last September, signing a deal with Cheeky to produce a […]
Online Properties, Offline Products
By Karen Raugust on March 20, 2017 in Character/Entertainment, Digital, Licensing, Publishing, Toys/Games
Original entertainment series distributed on streaming platforms, rather than on traditional television, have quickly gained traction as viable licensing opportunities. The first licensed products for these sorts of IP, which began to emerge in the world of licensing nearly two years ago, tend to be toys and/or books. Some examples: Jim Henson Productions’ Word Party, […]
Tech Tidbits from the Digital Kids Conference
The 2017 Digital Kids Conference, held at Current at Chelsea Piers in New York on February 20, 2017, focused on the intersection of technology and kids’ media, entertainment, and marketing. A few takeaways of potential interest to the licensing community: By a margin of more than two to one, the members of Generation Z (ages […]
App Play for the Real World
Some time has passed since hit gaming apps were leading the way as focal points of the licensing business, when licensors and licensees were in search of “the next Angry Birds.” That said, a number of licensors of app-centric games have been able to establish licensing programs keyed to appropriate categories, as recent deals attest: […]
E-Sports Update
A lot has happened in the e-sports market since we last covered the topic in August 2016: More merchandise deals. Apparel licensee J!nx licensed Echo Fox, an e-sports team founded by former NBA athlete Rick Fox, for a line of clothing and accessories including hoodies, caps, and t-shirts. The company is also introducing a lifestyle […]
Emojis, Licensing, and the Law
The abundance of emoji-related graphics and brands available for licensing and the strong presence of emoji-themed merchandise at retail this fall raise some questions for the licensing community. For example: What are my options if I want to create products featuring emoji-related designs and/or brands? Are emojis legally protectable in the first place? Do I […]
E-sports Properties Play The Licensing Game
Competitive video gaming, or e-sports, has been around in one form or another since the early 1970s and has steadily become more popular and professional ever since. Over the past two to three years, it has seen strong growth, moving into mainstream consciousness. According to researcher Newzoo, which began issuing e-sports market studies two years […]
Pokemon? No.
A search for Pokémon merchandise during a recent visit to Mall of America, in light of the Pokémon Go phenomenon, points to the challenges of capitalizing on a quick-rising trend. Just a handful of MOA’s 520-plus stores are currently highlighting Pokémon products, despite the abundance of visitors who were playing the game while walking the […]