Catching up with ITV Studios

Lucie Stoffers, Head of Brand Licensing, Global Entertainment, ITV Studios talks to Total Licensing

Could you outline the properties and ip that ITV is focusing on, at BLE and beyond?

ITV Studios controls the brand licensing rights to some of the most beloved IP in the world. From scripted, to reality and game shows, the diverse portfolio offers commercial opportunities in multiple categories. The key brands that we are focussing on are established titles like The Voice Franchise, Hell’s Kitchen, Love Island, I Am a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, The Chase, A Year on Planet Earth and Schitt’s Creek. But we are also actively exploring opportunities for new IP like Ten Year Old Tom and Physical that are available via Apple TV.

ITV Studios Brand & Licensing – can you tell us more about this dedicated arm and how it fits in with the overall strategy of ITV Studios?

In 2020 ITV Studios reorganised the international distribution and commercial business into three centres of excellence; Creative Network, with all creative labels that create new formats, Global Distribution, responsible for distributing all scripted content and Global Entertainment that distributes all formats around the world and is responsible for the brand & licensing activities across the IP of the entire organisation. This allows for a centralised approach (which is essential in ITV Studios ambition) to diversify revenue streams and create meaningful ways for viewers to connect with our brands beyond broadcasting.

Love Island has obviously been causing a storm recently, on television and social media! How do you capitalise on this with consumer products?

Love Island is a tremendous success in the UK and is growing fast globally. It has become a reality phenomenon with the show dominating social media and drawing audiences across the globe, with Greece becoming the 23rd territory to commission the format. The brand has become very appealing for global licensees that want to access the Gen Z & millennial audience that is interacting with the show both on air and via social media. Highlights include a global beauty collection with Revolution Beauty launched spring 2022 and dedicated merchandise (including the famous water bottle) that is sold directly to consumers via e-shops tied into the local shows. Our digital partnerships are very important too, such as Love Island The Game with Fusebox, with a stunning 20 million downloads, and Hotel Hideaway that offers players access to custom Love Island content for their avatars and even hang out at the Love Island villa.

Likewise, can you outline more about Hell’s Kitchen and some of the interesting partnerships you hold for the brand?

Hell’s Kitchen is one of our evergreen titles that has long lasting partnerships with for example Caesars Entertainment for Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen restaurants in the USA, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia and four new locations expected to open in 2023. The Red and Blue kitchens serve up modern lunch and dinner menus including Gordon Ramsay’s most talked about signature dish Beef Wellington and the mouthwatering Sticky Toffee Pudding. Furthermore we have successfully launched a cookware range at Macy’s, a spice range with Spiceology and several hot sauces. Other exciting partnerships include global online slots with Netent, a Hard Seltzer beverage Hell’s Seltzer range and most recent a Metaverse partnership with The Sandbox where fans of the show can visit the first-ever virtual restaurant, create new dishes, win competitions, collect recipes and compete for the chance to make it to Head Chef. Additionally there will be Hell’s Kitchen-themed assets, including limited edition Gordon Ramsay avatars, that will be available down the line for players and creators to include in their own original experiences.

There is a really diverse brand portfolio including The Chase and Schitt’s Creek. How do you tailor the licensing programmes around each one?

When working with established brands like The Chase, or Schitt’s Creek, we know the dedicated fan base very well, so we know who we are catering to. This makes it easier for us to tailor licensing propositions that appeal to fans to what we know the fans will like. Schitt’s Creek attracts new audiences of cult fans every day due to its own brand of quirky humour, light hearted and warm story lines. Over the past years ITV Studios has built a robust licensing program around Schitt’s Creek in key categories as books, board and card games such as UNO and Schitt’s Creeks Monopoly (their best-selling title of 2021) but also loungewear, t-shirts and sleepwear. For newer properties like Ten Year Old Tom or Physical, there is the benefit of being new and exciting and being more top of mind in the conversations around the coffee machine at work.

How important is the LBE sphere to you and is this something you will be exploring further in the future?

With ITV’s extensive catalogue of over 90.000 hours and some of the most beloved global brands, we see potential for creating live and virtual experiences with all kinds of different shows. We have so many brands that work extremely well in location-based entertainment.