TV Kids Licensing Report MIPCOM 2012 by World Screen

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LICENSING & MERCHANDISING TRENDS

MIP JUNIOR, MIPCOM & BRAND LICENSING SPECIAL REPORT

www.tvkids.ws

OCTOBER 2012

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41 Entertainment www.41e.tv • PAC-MAN

Round, yellow and ready for action—PACMAN is back and he’s in much more than just a video game. The well-known character is the center of a brand-new 26x22-minute 2D and 3D animated series, PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures, which is slated to air in the fall of 2013 on broadcasters such as Disney XD in the U.S., Sky in the U.K. and Ten in Australia. 41 Entertainment is particularly excited about the property’s potential in the licensing arena. There’s already a master toy line from Bandai, new video games from NAMCO and a host of other licensed product, from stationery to backto-school items to apparel and more, explains Allen Bohbot, the managing director of 41 Entertainment. The company is presenting PAC-MAN at Brand Licensing Europe. “Our expectations for Brand Licensing, after the huge response in Las Vegas in June, are very substantial,” Bohbot says. “It is the international introduction of PAC-MAN.”

“PAC-MAN has

IN THIS ISSUE

been around for 32 years; he is iconic.

”

—Allen Bohbot

Comeback Kids Retailers and licensees are seeking comfort in evergreen brands

Interview Média-Participations’ Claude de Saint Vincent 12

Ricardo Seguin Guise

Publisher Anna Carugati

Editor Mansha Daswani

Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski

Managing Editor Joanna Padovano

Associate Editor PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures

Simon Weaver

Online Director Phyllis Q. Busell

Art Director Meredith Miller Chris Carline

Mondo TV S.p.A.

Production Directors Cesar Suero

www.mondotv.it

Sales & Marketing Director

• Gormiti: The New Adventure • Dinofroz • Cat Leopold

Terry Acunzo

Business Affairs Manager Vanessa Brand

A classic Russian animation, Cat Leopold dates back to the late ’70s. Earlier this year, Mondo TV S.p.A. closed an agreement with the TV operator Russian Mobile Television for the coproduction and distribution of a brand-new 2D animated series surrounding the Cat Leopold property, says Matteo Corradi, Mondo’s senior VP of international sales. Mondo TV Consumer Products will be exploiting the property for licensing and merchandising worldwide, outside of Russia and the U.S. Other top properties from Mondo are Gormiti: The New Adventure and Dinofroz. The company wrapped a multi-territory deal with Turner Broadcasting that will bring Gormiti into more than 130 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Dinofroz recently launched in Italy on K2, and is also headed to India, on the Discovery Kids channel.

Sales & Marketing Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise

President Anna Carugati

Dinofroz

Executive VP & Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani

Gormiti: The New Adventure

www.tvkids.ws

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rand Licensing Europe (BLE) has now firmly established itself as Europe’s leading marketplace for the consumer-products business. Every year, major names come to London’s Olympia to launch their key new properties. But BLE 2012 is shaping up to be a bit different: as economic problems mount, retailers and licensees are playing it safe with new versions of old favorites. Indeed, if there is currently one theme that dominates the European consumer-products market, it is a huge streak of caution and conservatism among retailers and licensees. This is reflected in the new properties being brought to this year’s Brand Licensing Europe. Saban Brands will have two old favorites “debuting” at Olympia. Julius Jr. takes a look at the popular Paul Frank monkey in his youth. According to Elie Dekel, the president of Saban Brands, the new property “targets younger kids than the original Julius. In marketing terms, you would look at this as a diffusion brand, and in entertainment terms you would look at this as a spin-off. It comes to the market with several partners already embedded on both the consumer-product and television sides and this is a big initiative for us. It is a new one, and we are going to put a lot of resources behind it and create a lot of excitement around it.”

41e’s PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures.

Comeback

Kids

Retailers and licensees are seeking the comfort of evergreen brands as they head into Brand Licensing Europe. By Bob Jenkins

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Among the well-known brands returning to the forefront of Saban’s marketing plans is Digimon, which in the ’90s, Dekel recalls, was “second only to Power Rangers in its scope and success.” Another cult classic returning to the market is PAC-MAN, which 41 Entertainment is introducing at BLE this year. A new series, PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures, already has Disney XD and Sky in the U.K. on board as broadcast partners, and licensing agents have been appointed across the globe. Allen Bohbot, the managing director of 41 Entertainment, notes that the licensing and merchandising strategy for the property includes a master toy line from Bandai, new video games from NAMCO Entertainment, stationery, back-to-school items,

and Holly Hobbie continue to be evergreen properties for AGP, which recently announced a third season for Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures, and, reports Oliff, “Holly Hobbie has flourished in home goods, back to school and stationery.” The near-ubiquitous theme of tried-and-true properties being revived in an appropriate form for the modern market is continued at Studio 100, whose BLE slate is led by the 3D revival of the ’70s classic Maya the Bee. A co-production with ZDF,TF1 and TiJi, the series is a “fun-filled 3D animated adventure TV series for 4to 6-year-olds focusing on Maya’s adventures in the meadow with her many friends,” says Marie-Laure Marchand, the international licensing director at the

apparel and more. “PAC-MAN has been around for 32 years; he is iconic, with a 94-percent recognition factor, and is supported by a brand-new high-quality TV show.”

company. Maya certainly has many friends in the consumer-products field, with Marchand reporting that the series “already has over 225 licensees in Europe, covering areas such as publishing, toys and games, plush, home entertainment, food and apparel.” Master licensees in place include Egmont Kids Media for publishing in Eastern Europe, Lansay for toys in France, and IMC for toys in Latin America, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. Another revival of a ’70s German classic, Vicky the Viking, is also a key BLE property for Studio 100. Vicky the Viking “is a trans-generational series,” says Marchand. “It’s a renowned licensing success in German-speaking countries and we already have licensees on board covering all the main product categories.”

OLD AND NEW

American Greetings Properties (AGP) is bringing a new property to the market: The WotWots, made at New Zealand’s legendary Weta Workshop. However, the rest of its lineup is solidly made up of old favorites. Topping the list is Care Bears, which Gabrielle Oliff, the VP of brands and marketing, describes as “a top priority at BLE. We have recently relaunched the brand with an all-new CGI version, Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot, and a new toyproduct line from Hasbro will hit the shelves in many European markets during 2013.” Strawberry Shortcake

Buzzing brands: Studio 100’s Maya the Bee is among the classic brands back on the market, with a new CGI series and licensing and merchandising extensions.

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action isn’t all on the screen! We also have 35 licensees, including a new toy range from Character Options and new publishing from Egmont, and other new products and packaging in development, as well as the rollout of a new live tour across the U.K.” Italy’s Mondo TV has another ’70s classic revival at Olympia in the form of Cat Leopold. Originated in Russia, the animated property is being updated with a new 13x13-minute show that Mondo TV is co-producing with Russian Mobile Television. However, the two giants of Mondo’s BLE offering are Gormiti and Dinofroz. TOYS TO TV

You’ve got mail: Next year is an important one for DreamWorks Animation Classics’ Postman Pat, with a theatrical film set for release as well as a second season of the CBeebies series Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service.

Classic Media, which is being rebranded as DreamWorks Animation Classics, describes itself as “a leader in reinventing the entertainment classics of yesterday and creating the entertainment classics of tomorrow.” So it is no surprise to discover more old favorites reinvented for the contemporary market spearheading its fall slate. Leading the field is Show Your Stripes!, honoring this year’s 25th anniversary of Where’s Waldo?/Where’s Wally?, the original “search and find” property, which has to date sold in excess of 58 million books in more than 38 countries and 30 languages around the world. In ten countries it ranks in the top 25 paid apps of all time. “The iconic traveller will be ‘easy’ to spot this year as the brand marks its 25th anniversary with a global celebration featuring new products and partnerships with industry leaders across fashion, music and sports,” says Nicole Blake, the executive VP of global marketing and consumer products at DreamWorks Animation Classics. Postman Pat is another of DreamWorks Animation Classics’ brands having a big year in 2013. Not only will next year see the release of the brand’s first-ever theatrical film, Postman Pat: The Movie, which will have its world premiere in the U.K. on May 24, 2013, but the first quarter will also bring the launch of season two of Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service on CBeebies. “We now have a Scandinavian release for the movie and distributors have been signed for ten other territories with dates to be announced shortly,” Blake says. “But the

Gormiti:The New Adventure will be 52 half-hour episodes of full high-def, 3D CGI animation. Delivery will commence in the fall of 2012 and continue into 2013. Turner Broadcasting has signed as the broadcaster for 130 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the licensing and merchandising rights for all of those territories except Italy, San Marino, Vatican City and France. Mondo TV Consumer Products is taking on the role of subagent in Russia, Eastern Europe, the ex-Yugoslavia, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Based on the pocket-sized collectible toys from Giochi Preziosi, Dinofroz has a new

Wish fulfillment: Germany’s m4e has signed up a broad range of licensees for Mia and Me.

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Power players: The extensive range of branded products for Saban’s Power Rangers includes costumes for kids.

series of 26 half-hour episodes that will be delivered this fall. Both properties are owned by Giochi Preziosi, which co-produced the series with Mondo TV. Giochi Preziosi is also the worldwide master toy licensee. Rainbow will hit the aisles in Olympia straight from the MIPCOM launch of season five of its successful series Winx Club.There are now a total of 130 episodes available in 2D and 3D for the series, airing in more than 130 countries worldwide. That success has also been reflected in the Winx consumer-product program. “Winx Club has 365 licensees worldwide and has generated, literally, billions of dollars in retail sales,” says Bettina Köckler, Rainbow’s senior VP and general manager of global consumer products. “Season five launches with a brand-new series of toys, manufactured by Witty Toys, which is part of the Rainbow Group. In North America, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., JAKKS Pacific is the master toy licensee. Winx Club’s main broadcast partners are RAI in Italy and Nickelodeon for a number of key territories, especially our newest market, the U.S. Hitting our fifth season we do, of course, have very close ties with leading broadcasters around the world, who continue to support Winx Club with their best time slots.” OUT OF THE CLOSET

Among the old favorites in new forms on offer at Brand Licensing Europe, Moonscoop is showing up with a new brand, Chloe’s Closet, which launched in 2010.The series is centered on Chloe, an adorable, imaginative little girl who embarks on fantastical adventures during her dressup play. “Chloe’s adventures involve the audience and encourage viewers to celebrate how delightful it is to be a little kid, and how exciting it is to explore preschool math skills,” says Brigitte Legendre-Benloulou, Moonscoop’s senior VP of consumer products and marketing for Western Europe. Chloe’s Closet is broadcast on KiKA in Germany, France 5, and Cartoonito in the U.K. and Italy. Golden Bear is the master toy licensee. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to launch a new property as retailers are increasingly focused on fewer and fewer proven brands,” notes Hans Ulrich Stoef, the CEO of Germany’s m4e. Neverless, m4e has a licensing and merchandising hit in Mia and Me. Since the property’s introduction at BLE last year, it has aired on KiKA in Germany and on Nickelodeon in Scandinavia and Benelux with great success. In Germany, “Mia and Me went to air in August and has won a 30percent market share in the 3to-13 demo,” Stoef reports.

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“As a result, we already have a large and growing range of licensees and are looking forward to a very good year.” Sold to more than 50 markets, Mia and Me has a worldwide toy deal with Mattel—the first ever signed between the toy giant and a German company. A second season is in the works. ON TARGET

Stoef believes that one of the reasons Mia and Me has so successfully bucked the trend of sticking with proven properties is that “it is very tightly focused on the 5-to-9 demographic. To succeed today, brands need to be very clearly focused on a very well-defined demographic.” Studio 100’s Marchand agrees with Stoef that “with the current economic downturn, licensees and retailers want to limit risk as much as possible, and so they tend to stick with properties they know. It is certainly true that, from a licensing perspective, new series currently have a much more difficult time launching.” DreamWorks Animation Classics’ Blake is another who is adamant that “without any question, the market is heavily backing the tried and true. Retailers are definitely risk-averse at the moment and are looking for properties they know work, and also those they know have great appeal across all generations, which plays well into [our] library and ethos.” Moonscoop’s Legendre-Benloulou has no doubt that “the market in Europe currently needs to be reassured, and is not ready to take risks due to the current difficult economic situation.” APG’s Oliff is clear that “the European market has been a challenge over the past year, and we have had to manage expectations internally. However [on the plus side], our evergreen brands

such as Care Bears, Holly Hobbie and Strawberry Shortcake are weathering the storm, and consumer demand is allowing us to explore opportunities beyond our core categories and countries.” Rainbow’s Köckler, on the other hand, sees the present situation differently, insisting, “The market is constantly changing. It’s not a matter of it being difficult, it is a matter of having the right property and the right strategy for that property.” At Mondo TV, Micheline Azoury, the head of international sales and brand manager, agrees.“The real difficulty, especially in the kids’ arena, is that they are so unpredictable and fashions change so quickly.” Whatever your view of the European consumerproducts market right now, one thing is for sure. Look around the halls of BLE and you’ll see a lot of very familiar brands, some from a very long time past.

Nine lives: One of Mondo TV’s properties for BLE is an updated version of Cat Leopold.

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By Mansha Daswani

Some of Europe’s most cherished animated characters, including Lucky Luke and Tintin (who last year spawned a big-budget 3D CGI film from Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson), call the Média-Participations group home. The French concern has businesses including comics, books and magazine publishing, new media, and animation production and distribution. With Ellipsanime Productions, Dargaud Media, Dupuis Audiovisuel and Storimages, Média-Participations has been delivering a steady supply of animated series, including The Garfield Show and Chicken Town , to French broadcasters, while Mediatoon Distribution is taking those shows to channels worldwide. Claude de Saint Vincent, the CEO of Média-Participations, tells TV Kids about how the group’s various businesses support each other to build animated brands with global reach.

Média-Participations’

Claude de Saint Vincent TV KIDS: What role does the audiovisual business play

in the broader Média-Participations group? DE SAINT VINCENT: Right now it represents a little more than 10 percent of our turnover. We’ve been slowly increasing that. There are around 20 to 25 new animated series produced in France every year. We produce three to five of them, and there is no sense in increasing that. We have five major broadcasters—they’ll never rely only on one partner. Having reached 15 to 20 percent of the market, you cannot hope to go further. We are trying to increase our revenues by selling more abroad and expanding the visibility of our characters. Increasing the level of production itself would probably be a dead end. TV KIDS: Have French broadcasters maintained their

investments in children’s programming?

been reduced. So the catalogue has real value, there is still a shelf life for most of these shows, but the turnover per sale is decreasing. TV KIDS: You own a number of animation produc-

tion companies. What are the benefits of operating these outfits as separate, distinct brands? DE SAINT VINCENT: Our producers have specific identities. Ellipsanime, our leading producer, is producing original series or series based on characters from abroad or from other publishers. Dargaud Media and Dupuis Audiovisuel are only working on adaptations from our publishing properties. Storimages is only producing for younger audiences. Each of them has built a specialty that gives them credibility with producers. That’s important for us to be able to answer our broadcasters’ needs.

DE SAINT VINCENT: They have legal obligations,

which maintain the number of hours produced. But all their market shares have decreased tremendously. Twenty years ago there were only a few major broadcasters. In the youth market, we’ve gone from three powerful broadcasters to 20 weaker ones. This has two opposite consequences. All properties still have value because there is a need for content—there are so many screens. But the average price to buy those shows has

TV KIDS: Are there opportunities for your various companies, animation and publishing, to share resources or know-how? DE SAINT VINCENT: Whatever content you are producing, be it magazines, books, video games, television shows, you have to ensure they travel in different media. Most of our major graphic novels or comic characters have been able to travel into ani-

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mation, some of them have been adapted into video games, others will be used in merchandising, and a few will generate magazines. For instance, Yakari, which was produced by Storimages, has become a star in Germany—it aired on KiKA—and now has a magazine. It was born in a graphic novel in French. It became a star in Germany on the screen, which led to the creation of a magazine [in Germany]. And then we started to produce the graphic novels in German. It’s important for us to have this ability to explore different media. We are probably the only multimedia group with press activities, magazine activities, book publishing, animation production—television and cinema—video games and DVDs. In a perfect world, all our properties would be found in all those platforms.

Cool cat: Dargaud Media produces the comic-book-based CGI animated series The Garfield Show, which Mediatoon has sold into numerous territories, including the U.S. and China.

TV KIDS: When we spoke in

2008, you said that facing the Internet challenge was one of your main priorities. Since then, how have you embraced all the new platforms available today? DE SAINT VINCENT: If it was one of our priorities four years ago, it has become the priority now. We’ve been very active, in all our fields of activity. Most of our books are now available online and on tablets. In France, the market has been a little slow to start, and late, compared to the U.S. market or the Asian one. Amazon Kindle was launched in the States in 2007 and on Amazon.com there are 1 million books available in digital format. In France, the Kindle was only launched in October 2011 and there are 65,000 books available in digital format on Amazon.fr. It’s because of the authors’ rights system in France. It’s highly complicated to do the paperwork to get those rights back and exploit them. It will take time before the digital market is as important in France as it is in the States. The other problem we have for our kind of content—graphic novels, children’s books, animation shows—is that there is only one major platform suitable, which is the iPad, [priced] at €600 in France. We’re still waiting for a massmarket tablet to come in and generate consumers for VOD and book reading on tablets. We are waiting for Microsoft to launch its tablet, we’re waiting for the Kindle Fire, we are waiting for Google and Kobo to launch their tablets… there’s a lot to come. This year we should reach almost $1 million revenues from VOD with our animation programs.

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