France Market Overview

Total Licensing takes its annual look at the French marketplace with a roundup of licensing activities in different sectors of the industry.

France

STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of Canal+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and TV series, operating directly in all three major European markets - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Studiocanal Licensing’s ambition is to highlight French and European creativity on traditional properties with iconic brands for children such as Paddington, SamSam, Ernest & Celestine or Shaun The Sheep that are the subject of more than 25 million product sales around the world. Studiocanal is the producer of Paddington movies and TV series and represents Paddington brand in France. There are currently 160 licensees around the world for Paddington with 60 million products sold, 2 theme parks and more to come. The new TV series The Adventures of Paddington (52 x 11 minute episodes) is broadcast on French children’s channel Gulli every Saturday and Sunday morning and a second season is on its way and Paddington 3 is now in the works. In 2021, Studiocanal also celebrates the 40th anniversary of the brand Ernest & Celestine - the first book, written by Gabrielle Vincent, was published in 1981. Albums, animated movies (second one in 2022), television series, exhibitions, and new editions, the universe Ernest & Celestine has been an international success since its first appearance. On this occasion, many collaborations as well as events are planned throughout the year in Brussels and France, as well as a strong publishing program by Casterman.

With a catalog of more than 6,000 titles, Studiocanal is also showcasing iconic classic properties from the 80’s such as Rambo 1,2,3, Terminator 1 and 2, Evil Dead 2 , Carpenter and Godard films. New deals with some major video games (Fortnite/ Epic Games for Terminator2, Mortal Kombat/ Warner for Rambo) and apparel partners (Pull&Bear, Etudes, Olympia Le Tan) have been signed recently. More than 30 years after its theatrical release, Terminator continues to be passed down from generation to generation across the world thanks to its iconic character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and his unforgettable quotes. 2021 also marks the 30th anniversary of the film Terminator 2. For the occasion, Studiocanal is preparing events for the end of the year. In further news, Studiocanal report that Around the world in 80 days is a new animated film inspired by Jules Verne’s work. Theatrical release set for summer 2021 and a TV series already planned for 2022. French major book Publisher Editis is working on a publishing program available worldwide around the release date of the movie. A boy Called Christmas in collaboration with Netflix: Adapted from the bestseller written by Matt Haig, A boy Called Christmas, in collaboration with Netflix, tells the story of Santa Claus through the adventures of young Nikolas. The cast includes Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Michel Huisman, Sally Hawkins, Stephen Merchant and many others. Release planned for November 2021.

This year’s winner of the Licensing International Awards with Koh-Lanta as the Best Lifestyle/ Corporate/ Celebrity Brand, TF1 LICENCES has around 40 brands in its portfolio and for 2021 the company is focusing on

three strategic areas – Heritage and Iconic Brands, Kids brands and Live Experiences. While the new season of Koh-Lanta has just been announced, the 2020 leading brand in TV entertainment is becoming a licensing success story. By Summer 2021, publishers will release books, novels, escape books and boxes on this iconic program. Numerous other releases are expected in the second quarter. The award-winning brand has already attracted partners such as Nintendo, Deliveroo, Paylib and Andros with others to be soon announced. As part of TF1’s major environmental strategy, Ushuaïa is expanding in 2021. Since January, it is back on TF1 with a new program - Génération Ushuaïa - hosted by environmentalist icon Fanny Agostini. This new slot will also be an opportunity to strengthen the brand’s ties with the general public alongside major partnerships. Sun City is joining forces with the brand to offer a new ecoresponsible outdoor collection and partnering up with 1% for the Planet

to support environmental NGOs. TF1 Licences is also focusing on general interest’s topics with three brands: Doctissimo (Health), Auféminin (Beauty and Feminism) and Marmiton for cooking addicts. This first French social food brand has already attracted strong partners such as Jodas (kitchen utensils), Zifel (shopping bags and carts) and Françoise Saget (kitchen linen). So much more to come! On the kids side, once again, 2021 is a Smurfy year. TF1 Licences, IMPS and licensees gathered to create powerful synergies around the launch of the new series coming up soon in TF1. As part of their United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ambassador’s role, the Smurfs partnered with McDonald’s to offer 4 OMY colourings inside the Happy Meal menu, the first step of McDonald’s initiative to remove plastic toys In 2021, many partners are joining Barbapapa’s adventure. The series achieves high performances on TF1. Nickelodeon has already launched the new series worldwide and in the new adventures, Barbapapa, allows you to protect the environment whilst caring for others. Product includes pPublishing, toys, board games, eco-responsible clothes, etc. 2021 is a Miraculous Year. With a special episode in Shanghai, the 4th season coming up on TF1, the Musical and the Movie, LadyBug and Cat Noir will be there with new heroes to tell us more about diversity and courage all around the world. Other kids properties include Super Wings, Chuggington, Imago and Ghost Force. Since January 2020, the affiliated network Campings Paradis Vacations has quickly become a success. 44 camping grounds in 2021 vs 12 in 2020. The whole universe of the popular TV show (4.3 M average viewers) is taking place for real. TF1 Licences is supporting IPE, specialists in children’s indoor leisure spaces for the development of the first indoor park branded TFOU, the TF1 kids block, in partnership with an independent leader in commercial estate. This new leisure park capitalizes on the power of TFOU to offer a live experience space.

CRUNCHYROLL are focusing on key properties for 2021 including My Hero Academia, Captain Tsubasa, Jujutsu Kaisen, Bananya, Black Cover and Re:ZERO. The company has over 1000 titles with 30,000 episodes and, in terms of streaming, more than 100 million registered users with 50 million social followers and four million subscribers. In terms of consumer products, there are now over 100 licensees supporting retailers globally. Anime continues to grow in popularity all over the world. There has been an evolution from an exclusively Japanese category to a worldwide sensation as one of the most fascinating case studies in modern branding history and

a testament to the power of anime’s ability to tell rich, captivating stories. Crunchyroll are looking to implement specific strategies to extend their broader 360-approach internationally within this next year. They will be focusing on key distribution partnerships, to bring fans linear offerings to connect. The world has changed this year, but the Crunchyroll team has participated in a number of virtual conventions, panels, and events and they have recently wrapped the firstever Anime Awards Virtual C lineup of guests.

CHEFCLUB, the eat-ertainment brand, is a French digital cooking brand founded in 2016. The brand has grown rapidly worldwide as a result of its cooking videos distributed on social media. The company’s mission is to bring people together in the kitchen through the creation of fun, inspirational, and approachable content, products and services. Chefclub’s unique position between food and entertainment resonates well beyond the sphere of cooking enthusiasts: with more than 1.5 billion organic views every month and 100 million followers globally, Chefclub is the fastest growing global brand on

social media. In France, Chefclub is the number one cooking brand on social media with over 15 million engaged followers across all social media platforms with 250 million monthly views. Lately, Chefclub became the number one Frenchbased media property with the biggest global reach on Facebook and YouTube (source Tubular - Year 2020). Chefclub has successfully published over 22 in-house cookbook titles and collections offered on DTC and DTR with over 700.000 units sold in 3 years. Chefclub has also announced a new global licensing partnership with Groupe SEB, with the launch of a range of products under the brand license Chefclub by Tefal, including skillets, saucepans, kitchen tools and small domestic appliances. Created in collaboration with the Chefclub community, this range combines Chefclub’s expertise in the development of creative recipes with Tefal’s sustainable design for simple products to make cooking easier. The first products were launched in France at retail in January for the Crepes Day Celebration with a line of different pans, bakeware and an electric pancake maker. Specific POP materials were displayed across France in grocery stores. The rest of the Chefclub By Tefal line will be launched shortly in France and internationally (Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Canada, Brazil and Mexico), and will be sold offline and online as well as directly to customers on the Tefal and Chefclub websites. The new brand “Chefclub by Tefal” benefits from visibility on social networks and will broaden Groupe SEB’s reach, particularly with Millennials, who are discovering or rediscovering the joys of cooking thanks to the start-up’s content. Looking ahead is the launch of a range of Chefclub Kids culinary toys and games with Upyaa! in France at the end of March and in the rest of Europe later this year. Six new products for little ones will be offered, around the themes of chocolate, ice cream, and smoothies. Chefclub Kids is Chefclub’s initiative for children. The Chefclub Kids experience turns mealtime into playtime while creating family moments and opens the door to an immersive culinary universe that transforms cooking into a game. Chefclub Kids simplifies cooking for kids ages 4 and up, by creating a new fun cooking language. All Chefclub Kids recipes are conceived using 6 kids-friendly measuring cups, that replace complex measurement systems as the 6 measuring cups have a corresponding Chefclub character: the chef, the cat, the pig, the mouse, the hen, and the chicks. For extra help, each recipe has a QR code that, when scanned, brings kids directly to the video in the app. Today, Chefclub Kids products line includes 3 different sets and 10 different cooking utensils adapted for children with many more to come. All the Chefclub Kids products appear in Chefclub’s videos from beginning to end, racking millions of organic views and showcasing to parents over the world how the product revolutionises cooking with kids. In all, 150 000 Chefclub Kids products were sold in the last year in the French market.

MILLIMAGES, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary, is an independent animation studio operating out of Paris, London and Shenzhen with a catalogue of over 1,500 hours of produced content. Millimages prides in developing, producing and worldwide distributing & licensing high profile family entertainment on all media. Millimages embraces digital production and distribution with over 75 IPs and over 100 digital networks generating 10M daily views. A key brand in the Millimages roster is, of course, Molang. The property has a number of key signings recently including Sylvoe who launched a range of Molang onesies and bibs on the BabyGeek website last year. In addition, Milan Presse has recently devoted a DIY page to Molang in three issues of its Manon mag and will launch a quarterly magazine entirely devoted to Molang. Staying with publishing, EDI 8 Livres Dragon D’Or will produce stationery products in France, Switzerland and Belgium. Two packs of scratch cards and a pack of 250 stickers are currently available. The release of the products has been supported by a contest in Manon Mag with prizes of scratch cards to be won for the readers as well as on Molang’s social media. The products are available in bookstores, toy stores and kiosks. In an exclusive deal, this June, will see the launch of Alcara/Prime’s tokens, wreaths, bags and wafer boxes as well as displays and candle holders all

featuring Molang. July will see Abysse launch several products in Europe including mugs, key rings, figures and make-up boxes. Abysse will also launch cellphone cases, notebooks and pens later this year. Finally EXOD will release a Molang board game in September. . The launch will be accompanied by a campaign on social media, demonstration videos, and press articles. The products will be sold in department stores, independent stores, bookstores, online stores and in specialized distributors. Millimages recently welcomed Marina Narishkin as the studio’s new General Manager brought in to oversee the transformation of the studio’s business model through the diversification of Millimages’ productions, the development of new TV series and feature films and enhanced licensing activities.

For over ten years, CARBON12011 Licensing has built efficient licensing strategies for the brands they manage, taking into account their global strategy and adapting it to their licensing activity. Focusing on relevant and adding-value projects for brands, Carbon12011 Licensing manages both worldwide and local licensing programs in several countries such as Brazil, Japan and Russia and Europe. Their network is locally skillful and allows the best results for their clients. Consumer products and videogame industries are their fields of expertise and where they prospect and sign significant deals By managing licensing program for automotive companies, Carbon12011 Licensing integrates inherent values of the automotive universe developing licensing activity with the rigor of a car manufacturer and precision and reactivity equal to the one of an automotive sport competition! Renault, Alpine, Alpine F1 Team, Dacia and Mazzanti Automobili have put their trust in Carbon12011 Licensing for several years to help developing their licensing program. As French brands, Renault, Alpine and Alpine F1 Team enjoy success in France but also beyond Europe’s borders. Each brand has history with a different country all over the world. As an example, the historic and passionate love story between the Alpine brand and the Japanese market has grown year after year. Among some of the projects throughout recent years is the great Alpine GT4 Radio Control developed directly with the Kyosho Japanese team alongside Kyosho Europe. Formula One is a great flagship for brands all over the world. Last 2nd March, Alpine F1 Team launched its 2021 Campaign showcasing its new car, the Alpine A521. The car proudly showcases the colors of the French flag, as well as Alpine’s well-known and historic racing colors of blue, white and red. The worldwide licensing program continues to expand. 23 races are planned in 2021 on all continents. Local licensing projects are also important. A collaboration of French brands created an exciting Majorette range where consumers can find a Paris Saint Germain livery applied to Renault Mégane and Renault Twingo toy cars.

CYBER GROUP’S Gigantosaurus is a global series of 156 episodes of 11 minutes on air in more than 193 territories. In France, Gigantosaurus aired for the first time on Disney Junior on April 20th 2019 and was been launched on France Télévisions in December 2019. Currently broadcasted every Saturday morning on France 5 as well as on Disney Junior, the first season of the series is also available on both Netflix and Disney+ as well as Okoo. Staying in France, season 2 will begin airing mid 2021 on Disney Junior and will be broadcast on France Télévisions. Season 3 is expected to be released in 2022. In parallel, new content including shorts, music videos will be available on YouTube. Cyber Group Studios is also proud to launch the production of Giganto Club at their new studios in Roubaix. Planned to be released in 2021, Giganto Club is an original scripted animated series using realtime motion capture driven by XSENS technology and powered by Unreal Engine. On the licensing side, a videogame developed by Outright and distributed by Bandai was released in March 2020. Nine story books were launched by Larousse in September 2019 in specialist stores and mass markets and Cyber Group’s global master toy licensee, Jakks Pacific, developed a range of figurines, plush and vehicles. The products were on shelf last Christmas at King Jouet and also available on fnac.com and amazon. Dragon d’Or developed a coloring cards and scratch cards sets and also a board game and Clementoni launched a range of puzzles. In 2021, the ranges will be extended with new categories available in the market including apparel (Erve), tableware (Stor), puzzles (Ravensburger), bedding (Character World), bicycles (Pick and Roll). On a different note, the Droners series was successfully launched on TF1 with a market share going up to 34,2%. A strong publishing program has been developed with Glenat for books and novelizations, Dupuis for comics and Kana for Manga. Each has an ambitious publishing program. Glenat launched the first 3 titles

in February and the books are already listed in specialist stores such as Fnac and Cultura and also in mass market and digital retailers. In addition to the publishing program, IR Drone, a French-based company that specializes in drones, developed the first drone from the series: Maroro. The drone has been presented to retail for Christmas this year. Other product categories will be developed simultaneously with the release of the series in major licensing markets.

PROCIDIS is an independent French production company created in the 1960s by Albert Barillé, a pioneer in his field and creator of the animated edutainment concept. Following the international success of COLARGOL, his first series for pre-school, Albert Barillé directed and produced“Once upon a time … Man, (1978), now restored and available in HD (2014), Once upon a time … Space (1982), Once upon a time … Life (1982), Once upon a time … the Americas (1991), Once upon a time … the Discoverers (1994), Once upon a time … the Explorers (1997), and the latest series produced in HD, Once upon a time … Planet Earth (2009). For more than 40 years, the Once upon a time… series, which are now brought together under the umbrella brand “Hello Maestro”, have continued to transmit knowledge to children. Once Upon a Time… is targeted at boys and girls aged six to ten and is certified as a National Learning Program by France’s Ministry of Education. To date, the animated series (26 x 26 minutes) have been translated into 40 languages and broadcast in over 100 countries through broadcasters including TV5 Monde, Cartoonito, RTBF, RTP, YLE and Aljazeera. In France the series is broadcast on Okoo France TV platforms including the educational platform Lumni. The series is also on Netflix and on OSC (Space). A brand new series is currently in production for a launch at the end of 2022 or early 2023. To date, more than fifteen licensees are on board including tys and games (Educa Borras, Upyaa, Winning Move, VTech, Klein), figurines (CFR Studios, La Fée Sauvage), plush (Anima), publishing (Hachette, Delcourt, Aedis, Hugo & Cie, Editions Animées), DVD (Sony), music (Sony and Velvetica), audio stories (Sony, Lunii), and apparel (Lobster & Lemonade). New products are in development for Fall/Christmas this year.

TAT PRODUCTIONS is one of the leading animation companies in France. The company’s main activities are the production of original animated movies and TV series as well as consumer products development. Despite Covid-19, the Toulouse-based studio is expanding its production capacity and it will soon be capable of producing one new original movie each year. This will

help the company to reach an almost unique production standard in Europe. Furthermore the company recently announced that for the second time, its best-known franchise The Jungle Bunch will be adapted for the big screen. The Jungle Bunch 2 The Movie will be distributed in theaters around the globe in 2023 by the French giant SND (M6 Television group). In 2017, the first The Jungle Bunch The Movie gathered more than 700,000 spectators in France and became the 4th most popular French production in the world. At the same time, the Emmy Awardwinning animated series The Jungle Bunch to the rescue is currently experiencing a new boom, after the release of the record-breaking third season on the French national broadcast (France Télévision). At the moment the animated series is one of the strongest in France in terms of viewership. For this reason, TAT Productions is now planning to launch a new licensing program for The Jungle Bunch. Hundreds of licensed goods of this property have already been produced in the past few years, gathering licensing partners in more than five countries and demonstrating the licensing appeal of this brand.

When TOEI ANIMATION EUROPE’S One Piece broadcasts its 1000th episode this year, it will make global television history by having the largest number of episodes for a continuous series. The 1000th episode will broadcast across the EMEA in November, 2021. Long-time broadcast partners in Europe will participate to this year’s celebration. In France, it will air on the pay TV networks, J One and Game One, and the SVOD networks, Anime Digital Network (ADN) and Crunchyroll. On the merchandising part, Toei Animation Europe has all corners covered in time for this celebration in France throughout the year. Early June, fashion retailer, Uniqlo will launch a dedicated apparel collection of 6 men t-shirts featuring exclusive series designs. Not only Uniqlo implement in-store activation to highlight the collection, but it will also oversee a digital competition giving fans the chance to win One Piece prizes. Throughout the year, worldwide famous brands will get One Piece in the spotlight, with different lines of products featuring designs of the anime series. More information will be disclosed soon. At the same time, Toei Animation Europe is securing retail partnerships in France to celebrate this milestone. In

Q2/Q3, a France-wide Stamp Rallye operation will have fans collect One Piece stickers to claim for One Piece prizes. This operation would occur in book and hobby stores across France. Later this year, Micromania-Zing would organize an exclusive in-store operation, dedicated to the 1000th episode celebration. This campaign is scheduled for Q4. Toei Animation Europe’s efforts for this milestone occasion are not stopping at licensing. Inspired consumer events are planned to engage One Piece’s international fan base. A dedicated landing page promises to share exciting news with visitors, and opportunities to experience exclusive content. French publisher Glénat will support the One Piece manga by organizing a countdown game 100 days prior to the publication of volume N°100. This daily trivia competition will include participation with other licensees, and elect a winner each day. Pending the easing up of COVID-related restrictions, Toei Animation Europe further hopes to arrange in-person events. Prior to the episode debut, Toei Animation Europe will organize a series of day-long movie marathons in theater locations. A symphonic concert is also currently scheduled for September 25 at Salle Pleyel in Paris. The concert will feature an orchestral recreation of classic moments from the series alongside exciting audience activities. The event will resume in November with a special piano concert tour recognizing the 1000th One Piece episode.

SOPHIE LA GIRAFE was born in 1961 in Paris, France. Made from 100% natural rubber, Sophie has soothed generations of teething babies who also love to hear her squeak when squeezed. Today, Sophie la girafe is still produced with 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea tree and goes through 14 manual operations before completion. Parents trust Sophie la girafe and recognize the brand as a key ingredient in a newborn’s gift basket. Over recent months, Sophie la girafe license has welcomed many licensees and licensed products with new products in France. Alpine has teamed up with Sophie la girafe inviting all parents to take care of their baby’s ears in noisy environments. SES Creative has developed products specially adapted to Sophie la girafe’s young target: finger paints, baby markers, and aprons. Planet cards has created birth announcements in different themes and formats with Sophie la girafe and Haza has developed a Sophie la girafe decoration kit to suit a party event. Novatex has launched a line of clothes, Prime will debut porcelain miniatures, Poree Havlik has a complete collection of bibs, Mayo Parasol has signed for swimwear and Marabout are producing baby and pregnancy diaries and books. Further licensees include Theo bebe Evoltive baby furniture, Angel cosmetics, Batt for chocolate, Ilado for maternity necklaces, Vondels for Christmas decorations, Stitch and Story for knitting accessories, Squiz for reusable feeding pouches, Charlie Banana for reusable diapers, Trousselier for plush, rattles, night lights and more, Anzou for publishing and Renolux for safety products including car seats, pushchairs, travel cots, playpens and more.

BEL LICENSING are actively promoting The Laughing Cow (La vache qui rit), Babybel, Apericube and Leerdammer.

The Laughing Cow brand is turning 100 years old this year with a large number of retail and digital activations. In addition, some specific collector items are being sold on the company’s official e-boutique. With 2021 as the Year of the Ox in the Chinese calencdar, the Laughing Cow was selected by H&M for a Chinese New Year collaboration. In terms of licensing, the company is concentrating on four key categories: apparel, home décor and homewares, tableware and games. Designs include retro and vintage, contemporary and fun and childish.