TV Kids NATPE Europe 2014

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TVKIDS

WWW.TVKIDS.WS

JUNE / JULY 2014

LICENSING EXPO & NATPE EUROPE EDITION

L&M Trends / Studio 100’s Hans Bourlon / eOne Family’s Olivier Dumont

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CONTENTS

Summer Fun Summer is upon us, and while children are ecstatic at the prospect of being home from school, parents may not always share the same enthusiasm!

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Editor Mansha Daswani Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Managing Editor Joanna Padovano Associate Editor Joel Marino Assistant Editor Simon Weaver Online Director Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Cesar Suero Sales & Marketing Director Faustyna Hariasz Sales & Marketing Coordinator Terry Acunzo Business Affairs Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP & Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Kids © 2014 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvkids.ws

Of course we love our darlings, but as we look out at that seemingly endless expanse from June to September—summer vacations vary in different territories—we wonder, What the heck will our children do after the novelty of not getting up in time for the school bus wears off ? And for those of you starting out winter in the Southern Hemisphere, you face the same dilemma, just six months earlier.

Smart, organized parents (and I wasn’t always in that esteemed group) plan overnight camps in the summer and courses during the dead of winter. I learned that skill only after several years of arriving at May—and although giddy at the realization that neither I nor my children needed to be bundled up in the morning with coats, scarves, hats, mittens and boots, which somehow always added 15 extra minutes to already hectic morning routines—and being gripped by dismay, thinking, Oh, what will they do this summer?

They are on vacation, but I’m not.

This May, like an involuntary reflex action, I caught myself thinking about what my kids will do this summer, before reality kicked in: my son is all grown up and my teenage daughter has made her own plans. As I look out at today’s entertainment landscape, I am amazed at how many options are available to kids of all ages. Of course television reigns supreme, whether through linear channels or VOD offerings, and there is a huge variety in subject matter, target age groups and visual styles. If, for some reason, linear TV isn’t offering a favorite show, over-the-top services provide rich menus of kids’ series. In fact, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have been aggressively bolstering their offerings because they know children’s programming has been driving subscriptions. Tablets have made the “Are we there yet?” litany so much less irritating, with youngsters having a vast array of shows and games at the touch of a fingertip.

There is an endless assortment of apps to satisfy all tastes and curiosities.

None of this would be possible without great shows with endearing characters that children love. Summer vacations are not complete without video games on portable devices or a plush doll or pajama of a favorite character. In this issue of TV Kids, we look at the state of the licensing and merchandising business. We also talk to Olivier Dumont of eOne Family and Hans Bourlon of Studio 100, executives from companies that have devised successful strategies for satisfying today’s media-savvy kids—and provide parents lots of options for filling those summer hours with fun!

—Anna Carugati

FEATURE

10 FLYING TO RETAIL Properties with existing consumer awareness are still dominating the kids’ licensing and merchandising space.

INTERVIEWS

16 Studio 100’s Hans Bourlon

18 eOne Family’s Olivier Dumont

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Daewon Media GON The first season of GON secured key broadcasters worldwide, and a second season of the action-based comedy is in production. Season one had 90 11-minute episodes, and season two has 26 new 11-minute episodes. The series features the adventures of a creature that resembles a dinosaur. Small but strong, the creature has unimaginable speed and power. Created by Masashi Tanaka, GON began its life as a popular comic-book series published by Japan’s Kodansha in 1992. The show targets both boys and girls, and features detailed illustrations of unique characters and intricate background settings. Daewon Media is heading to this year’s Licensing Expo to start new discussions on the property in the L&M space. “As we are preparing the new season of GON, we are currently expanding our lineup of toys and other merchandise, including apparel, school items, plush and sound-recognition talking toys,” says Young Choi, the CEO of Daewon Media. “At this upcoming Licensing Expo, we are aiming for sales in North and South America, Russia and China.” In addition to GON, Daewon Media’s slate includes Paboo & Mojies, a 2D adventure comedy; Iron Kid, a futuristic saga done in 3D animation; and Noonbory and the Super 7, an adventure fantasy produced in 3D.

“Our ultimate goal for the months ahead is to expand the licensing business of GON.”

—Young Choi

GON

Entertainment One Family Peppa Pig

/ Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom / SO SO Happy

The TV-led preschool properties Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom are top highlights for Entertainment One (eOne) Family in the L&M space. Both series come from the U.K.-based animation studio Astley Baker Davies. Peppa has more than 450 global licensing agreements around the world and has been a huge success with linear-broadcast sales as well. Ben & Holly also has a slew of licensing deals in place, with 40 licensees in the U.K. alone. New to the portfolio is the teen lifestyle brand SO SO Happy. “The brand has a very positive energy and the ethos behind it is to encourage teens to embrace individuality, love, respect and kindness as well as build self-confidence,” says Andrew Carley, eOne’s head of global licensing. “The artwork has recently been updated and a full marketing campaign covering a new website, social media and animated shorts, as well as multiple consumer initiatives, will be in place at the end of 2014 or early 2015. The brand will be launched carefully into upmarket retail and allowed to grow organically from there into multiple distribution channels.” The SO SO Happy brand came to the company’s catalogue through the acquisition of Art Impressions and its portfolio of lifestyle properties. Also acquired through that deal is the Skelanimals brand.

“The themes of magic and nature in Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom translate well to licensing, particularly for the girls’ market.”

—Andrew Carley

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Escapade Media Jay’s Jungle

/ Kitchen Whiz

Escapade Media is a new company focusing on content development, from concept right through to ancillary sales. The outfit recently concluded an investment partnership with Omnilab Media’s production arm, Ambience Entertainment. This deal sees Escapade representing completed content from one of Australia’s largest children’s producers. Among the series in the Escapade catalogue is Jay’s Jungle, a preschool show about the adventures of a lighthouse keeper, Jay, and a wisecracking lighthouse, Seymore. Kitchen Whiz sees two teams of junior chefs competing in fun, messy, tactile tasks, led by the Kitchen Ninja. “Escapade has identified and started to form partnerships with premium commercial creatives,” says Natalie Lawley, Escapade’s managing director.

“Australia has superb talent and creativity in terms of children’s and family content.”

—Natalie Lawley Jay’s Jungle

Mondo TV The Drakers

/ Sissi, the Young Empress

Aimed at boys between the ages of 5 and 9, The Drakers is one of the properties that Mondo TV is highlighting at this year’s Licensing Expo. Made in collaboration with Ferrari, the animated series combines sport and cars with mystery and fantasy.

“Master toy maker MacDue is planning to be on shelves with a large-scale [collection] of products from fall 2015 onwards,” says Roberta Puppo, the international licensing and marketing manager at Mondo TV. Also in the company’s catalogue for L&M exploitation is Sissi, the Young Empress, a girl-skewing animation that is due to debut next spring. “Mondo TV has already [secured] a really important partner for the toy line, the Italian company Startrade, which will start distributing the products at the same time the series is broadcast on TV,” adds Puppo.

Sissi, the Young Empress

Studio 100 Media Tashi

/ Heidi / Vic the Viking

Wild adventures ensue when Jack’s parents send him off to stay with a distant cousin in Tashi, which Studio 100 Media is showcasing at this year’s NATPE Europe. The animated show is made by Flying Bark Productions in association with Discreet Art Productions in India and Telegael Teoranta. Also a highlight is Heidi, an animated series that comes from Studio 100 Animation and Flying Bark. The program tells the classic tale of the young orphan who lives with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Then there is Vic the Viking, which centers on a 10-year-old boy whose father struggles to convince him to embrace their violent culture.

Studio 100 Animation produces the CGI series in collaboration with TF1 and ZDF.

Tashi 66 World Screen 6/14

The Drakers

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m4e’s Mia and me.

FLYINGto RETAIL Properties with existing consumer awareness are still dominating the kids’ licensing and merchandising space.

By Joanna Padovano arents are well familiar with the insistent “Will you buy that for me?” question with which their little loved ones plead for a toy, plush doll or game connected to a favorite movie or TV show.The licensing and merchandising (L&M) business is a thriving one, with retail sales in the U.S. at $5.3 billion last year, but the road to successfully launching products and making profits at retail is a long and complicated one, especially for brand-new properties that originate on the small screen.

Many companies headed to the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas and operating in the children’s space prefer to stick with properties that are based on books or existing characters in order to increase their chances of succeeding at retail.

“L&M success typically takes time to build,” says Allen Bohbot, the chairman and CEO of 41 Entertainment (41e).

“Apart from major instant hits like [the Disney movie] Frozen, most TV-based properties need time to become established and [ingrained] in the culture. Having a brand that has a proven track record and longevity is really helpful. It is extremely hard to launch an original idea in the L&M market today.”

41e has found L&M success with PAC-MAN, which began as an arcade game more than three decades ago. According to Bohbot, it is the first licensed property to ever reach $1 billion in merchandising sales. “[PAC-MAN] is a character that lends itself perfectly to licensed product, which is why we now have 100-plus global licensees making 2,000-plus products,” he says.

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Today, PAC-MAN is the star of the animated series PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures, the second season of which debuts in June. “The program is far along with all major categories such as toys and video games, all forms of apparel and accessories, home entertainment, consumables, domestics and home décor, footwear, party goods, publishing, seasonal, stationery and promotions,” says Bohbot.“We are now making sure that we have all such licensees in all markets of the world.”

HOT PROPERTIES

Another brand with established consumer awareness is m4e’s Tip the Mouse, which was inspired by the best-selling children’s book series.The new animated preschool program is slated for broadcast this fall on Germany’s Super RTL, which is also the brand’s licensing agent for the German-speaking market.

“We are very eager to start with the international licensing exploitation [for Tip the Mouse],” says Bernd Conrad, the head of licensing for m4e. “Major partners such as Simba Dickie Group, Panini and Universum Film are already on board.” The company’s catalogue also contains Mia and me, which has enjoyed licensing success in Germany and Italy. “Now the property is on the verge of becoming a global licensing phenomenon,” says Conrad, who mentions that Mia and me’s licensing program is extending its reach to Poland, Russia, France, Spain and other countries.

A big hit for Cyber Group Studios is Zou, another bookbased property, which has products spanning such categories

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ITVS GE and Saban Brands are coordinating the relaunch of the Digimon brand with a 360degree licensing strategy.

as apparel, toys and games and publishing in numerous territories around the globe. “Zou is a huge worldwide preschool success.

[There is] lots of fondness [for] the characters and great family values,” says Pierre Sissmann, the company’s chairman and CEO. Cyber Group is also managing Zorro, the famous masked swordsman who is appearing in the upcoming CGI series Zorro the Chronicles. “Zorro is a multigenerational icon that no one needs to introduce,” says Sissmann.“We are just at the beginning with Zorro, as production is currently ongoing. We already have major publishing deals in place and are renewing quite a number of the existing licensees with new art, but there is [still] a lot to do.”

Another evergreen brand in the L&M arena is Alvin and the Chipmunks, which is being represented by PGS Entertainment at this year’s Licensing Expo. ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks, the upcoming CGI series from Bagdasarian Productions, will feature the animated musical group that was created in the late 1950s. “The brand has been extremely successful in the past in a large number of categories, from home entertainment and publishing to apparel and toys,” says Guillaume Soutter, co-founder and co-owner of PGS. “The commitment for two TV seasons and the support of a new movie will expand into an even larger program across all key categories.”

LONG LASTING

Zou, distributed by Cyber Group, has been extended into apparel and other categories.

Also headed to the expo this year is Thunderbirds Are Go!, which is represented by ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE). The show, scheduled to premiere next year, is a remake of the 1960s hit Thunderbirds.

“Thunderbirds is an enormously loved series that has remained in the public consciousness for nearly 50 years,” says Trudi Hayward, ITVS GE’s senior VP of global merchandising.

“Such longevity is rare and extremely valuable, as it engenders industry and consumer awareness that brings a vast multigenerational fan base with an appetite for new content and high-quality, innovative consumer products.”

The master toy partner for Thunderbirds Are Go! is Vivid Imaginations, which is handling the global manufacturing rights outside of the U.S. and Asia. The first products are slated to hit retail in late 2015. “The licensing strategy will 70 World Screen 6/14

41e is expanding the L&M rollout for PAC-MAN.

lean toward innovative products, gadgets and vehicles, in the digital space and on the shelf, that can bring the show to life,” says Hayward. “This makes toys and digital key categories for the brand. There will also be an emphasis on boys’ apparel, accessories, back-to-school and gifts. In addition, because of its strong heritage, we know the brand has the potential to appeal to midmarket retailers and we are taking a long-term view on the licensing strategy that prioritizes quality and innovation.”

ITVS GE also represents such third-party kids’ brands as Matt Hatter Chronicles, Digimon Fusion and Super 4.

Popular L&M brands in the Mattel portfolio include the iconic fashion doll line Barbie and the book-based Thomas & Friends. The former has a presence in more than 45 consumerproduct categories, with a renewed focus on apparel planned for the fall. The latter boasts more than 85 licensees in North America, with a direct-to-consumer catalogue launching in print and online this June, and an international expansion to follow. “Both brands have tremendous heritage,” says Jessi Dunne, the general manager and senior VP of consumer products for Mattel.

Thomas & Friends, which is turning 70 in 2015, has been the number one preschool toy license in the U.S. for the past 13 years, according to Dunne.

It is a property of HIT Entertainment, which was acquired by Mattel in 2012.

When developing a new property, it is essential for brand owners to consider how and when they want to launch an L&M campaign. “This is an important part of our complete marketing strategy for a property, [and] it is imperative for our investment recoupment,” says m4e’s Conrad. “We’re always striving to find first strategic licensees for our properties at the production stage, but of course almost nothing can beat good TV exposure before a successful licensing and merchandising exploitation.”

For Cyber Group, while L&M plans are evaluated right away, they aren’t officially implemented until the timing is perfect. “We want our

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Mattel has had strong retail success with products for HIT’s Thomas & Friends.

partners to be successful and come at the right time with the right product lines,” says Sissmann.“However, we always develop style guides and product concepts at the time of production of main animation, and allocate specific resources for that purpose.”

POINT OF SALE

As PGS’s Soutter explains, it all depends on whether the brand is known or unknown, and if the genre is comedy or action.“That said, great characters, great stories and ensuring we are only making great products [are the elements] that bring consistent and strong development.”

“We think and plan for it right at the beginning; however, we plan our execution of merchandise—both from a consumer demo and product category—at key points after the brand has penetrated,” says Mattel’s Dunne, who adds that the exception to this is publishing. “It’s a category we do launch with as an alternate-content medium.”

ITVS GE’s Hayward points out that in the early days of Thunderbirds, official licensed products didn’t exist, which led some fans to take a stab at making their own. “Looking to the current day, we’re working with a property that boasts an incredible 50-year heritage in an age where consumers expect things immediately,” she says.“The licensing industry is the most sophisticated that it’s ever been and we’re utilizing all the amazing technology that’s available to us.”

For Thunderbirds Are Go!, the company is “striking while the iron is hot” by “committing to the licensing program right from the beginning, rolling out products earlier than we usually would for a boys’ action series,” adds Hayward.“We’re confident that the heritage of the brand combined with the amazing production values of the new show puts Thunderbirds Are Go! on track for broadcast and retail success.”

One of the biggest ongoing challenges facing the kids’ L&M industry today is competing for room on crowded store shelves.

As the industry continues to evolve and additional licensed products become available for an increasing number of brands, retail real estate becomes more and more difficult to secure.

“Retailers want a brand that has some established recognition and yet some current marketing exposure,” says 41e’s Bohbot.

“They would rather miss a potential opportunity than chase an unknown new license.”

According to Cyber Group’s Sissmann, retailers are always on the hunt for successful IP and cutting-edge concepts. “Mostly, they want sales with great products, so they are looking for big 72 World Screen 6/14

IPs, exposure and innovation,” he says. “Shelf space and the versatility of consumers are two big challenges that sometimes hinder the development of L&M, even for great series.”

Those fortunate enough to see their property hit retail must then find a way to make their product stand out among a plethora of eye-catching merchandise. Getting a store to agree to sell an item doesn’t do any good if you can’t convince consumers to actually commit to the purchase.

“The best case for retailers is a wide fan base that is emotionally loyal to a specific brand or property,” says m4e’s Conrad. “A retailer that does have the right products with the right branding on shelves can definitely influence consumer behavior in order to increase visits and buying frequency.”

The next step is doing whatever it takes to maintain healthy sales, while preparing for the realistic possibility that a property’s shine may eventually begin to wear off.

“Some strong brands are having declining sales, so ultimately they will have to be replaced,” says PGS’s Soutter.

“Having brands that are ready to take advantage of this is a major plus in today’s environment.”

DOLLARS FROM DIGITAL

Luckily, brand owners have more options in the current marketplace, where they don’t have to rely solely on physical products to rack up revenue. Nowadays, a property’s L&M offering can include such digital assets as apps and e-books.

“Digital is definitely a growth area for licensing, not just in terms of the potential to drive more sales via online outlets, but also the ability to engage consumers online through brand-enhancing digital activities,” says ITVS GE’s Hayward, who cites Saban Brands’ Digimon Fusion as a relevant example of this. “We’re working with the brand owner to develop digital assets, including online games, so we can ensure a presence not just on TV, but in all the other areas where today’s techsavvy kids are hanging out. Similarly, these assets are being made available to retailers for use on their websites, enabling kids to spend more time interacting and engaging with the brand, and hopefully inspiring purchase intent.”

But the digital revolution hasn’t taken over the kids’ L&M industry just yet, says Cyber Group’s Sissmann. “Digital is growing fast, but toys and publishing remain clear winners.” Perhaps things will change in the years to come, when tangible toys and books could become as unrecognizable to future generations as record players and VCRs are to kids today—or perhaps not.

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opened our first animation studio in France. And in Belgium we are still working actively on live-action series. We also own five theme parks in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

TV KIDS: How are these various business lines performing?

BOURLON: From our perspective, the leisure industry—

Studio100’s HANS BOURLON

By Kristin Brzoznowski

When Hans Bourlon and Gert Verhulst founded Studio 100 in 1996, there was just one TV production in its catalogue. The company has since grown to become one of the largest independent global family entertainment outfits operating today. Its businesses include a robust licensing and merchandising segment, live-action and animated programming, feature films, a number of theme parks and more.

Bourlon, co-founder and CEO of Studio 100, talks with TV Kids about the growth of the company’s various business segments.

like theater shows, musicals and theme parks—is a rather old-fashioned business, but in our company, it does currently create the most growth. The reason is very simple: in Europe, parents and grandparents want to spend quality time with the family and they don’t mind spending money to do so.You do need to invest heavily in theme parks to make them really top notch, but once you have achieved this, it is a really strong and growing business.

In the media industry, a lot of activities nowadays are not easy.

With TV shows, it is much more difficult to build a brand’s popularity because you have a lot of global broadcasters, and small children are now digital natives and don’t watch the way we watched as children. They love the iPad and a lot of interactive things. This makes us even happier that we acquired the catalogue of EM.Entertainment because it’s so well known and parents are keen to share it with their children today. If you want to make something popular nowadays and you start from a blank page, it takes a lot of effort and a lot of time. If you have some nostalgic IP and you can give it new life, it’s much easier.

TV KIDS: What areas of the business are you focusing on?

BOURLON: We have a lot of expertise in managing and devel-

oping our theme parks. We recently bought some old theme parks in Europe.The good news with that kind of acquisition is that there is already an infrastructure; there are roads, people know where it is, and they know the name. If you want to refurbish it or build it anew, it’s an easier task than just to buy a meadow and think, OK, now we will start a theme park here!

You need a lot of permits, you need a lot of investigation; it would take you five years just to lay the first brick! So, the acquisition of old theme parks and giving them new life is something that we have considerable experience in.We are continuously in search of more theme parks we could update and modernize.We have the IP and the know-how; that’s a good combination.

TV KIDS: How is Studio 100 meeting the challenges of today’s

ultra-competitive marketplace?

BOURLON: A lot has changed in the last three years. Most peo-

TV KIDS: What have been the hallmarks of Studio 100’s success?

BOURLON: In 1996, we started with a live-action show in

Belgium, Samson & Gert. It became very popular. Following this success, we created a lot of new live-action series for the Dutchspeaking regions in the Netherlands and Belgium. As those programs were live action, it was advantageous that the actors could also sing songs, go on stage to perform live, and we bought an old theme park in Belgium that we could theme with these characters. Before we knew it, we had a 360-degree brand proposition with books, movies, TV shows, songs, theater shows and so on. This was the start of our company.

In 2008, we acquired EM.Entertainment. It had some very old series with characters that were well known worldwide, like Maya the Bee, Vic the Viking, Heidi, Pippi Longstocking and many more. So, our master plan was to revitalize these characters by producing new series with modern techniques, like full CGI. We acquired Flying Bark Productions in Australia, and we 74 World Screen 6/14

ple now have an iPad or other tablets and the Internet is constantly improving and offering new possibilities for consumers.

Young children have a totally different way of consuming media than the generations before them. Television in the old, traditional way still exists, but those children want to make their own choices. They want to watch when they want to, on the device they want to, at the moment they have time to. They want that freedom and they are used to having it. This will be the media consumption of the future.

We are now working on, and we will launch this autumn, a new state-of-the-art kids’ media platform where kids learn by having fun and being creative. Imagine a world where children can play games, resolve quests, watch movies, listen to music, read books and interact with each other—an all-in-one 3D platform bringing all kids’ media together.We continuously try to be very innovative in the ways we reach children in this competitive and fast-moving industry.

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Australia, we launched in ABC Shop. Exclusive relationships such as these ensure full support at launch, building both confidence and momentum in the property and thereby encouraging other retailers to commit in depth with a proven property. Toys, publishing, DVD and apparel will always be the driving categories in which we look to launch the brand at retail, and in several European countries we’ve seen that digital, live events and FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods] follow more quickly after this than they would have done in the U.K. TV KIDS: Has the rollout for Peppa Pig been different in

each territory?

DUMONT: Although we’ve always approached each market

eOne Family’s

OLIVIER DUMONT

By Anna Carugati

Entertainment One (eOne) Family is dedicated to developing and producing quality entertainment for children, teens and their families. The company has had a huge hit with Peppa Pig, which has charmed young girls with the adventures of a lovable but somewhat bossy little pig for ten years. Olivier Dumont, the managing director of eOne Family, talks to TV Kids about the company’s experience in rolling out Peppa and other properties in today’s crowded TV and retail markets.

TV KIDS: What has been the strategy for licensing and merchandising connected to Peppa Pig? DUMONT: Our overall strategy for the brand has always been carefully managed growth that responds to consumer demand built through strong TV ratings rather than oversaturating the market too quickly with merchandise before the show has had time to attract a dedicated fan base through broadcast. Key to this strategy is securing and then working closely with leading preschool broadcasters in each country and convincing them to air the episodes back-to-back in regularly scheduled blocks. This is crucial to growing fan bases as the episodes are only 5-minutes long.With broadcast in place, we then work with either our own local office or carefully selected licensing agents who have onthe-ground knowledge of the markets.We find that retail exclusives are a good way of launching the property at retail, which is what we’ve done with Toys “R” Us in the U.S. and in Germany.

Toys “R” Us was also a key launch partner in the U.K. In 76 World Screen 6/14

with the same strategy in mind, sometimes countries can react to the brand in very different ways. In Spain and Italy, for example, it has taken off very quickly and the retail rollout has expanded much faster than we would ever have anticipated in the U.K., U.S. or Australia, which follow a more similar, slower rate of growth. Much of this is also dependent on the support of the broadcaster. Peppa is in a very different stage of its lifecycle in different territories. For example, in the U.K., where we are currently celebrating Peppa’s tenth anniversary, it is a very mature, well-embedded property with 88 licensees signed across all categories. So, in the U.K., our focus is to properly manage a very well-established and much-loved brand. In other markets, such as Italy, Spain, Australia, the U.S. and Germany, the brand is still new and we are very much in the phase of brand-building, while in other areas, such as Russia and South America, we are in the very early stage of introducing the brand to the marketplace. But, wherever we are, and whatever stage of the cycle Peppa is at, it is, and always will be, a television-led and television-driven property. Certainly over the next two years or so, one of our major focuses will be the new markets of South and Central America, and parts of Asia, notably Hong Kong and China.

In the U.S., our strategy has been very similar to the one we have adopted in the U.K., and that is to build the licensing program organically and manage growth strategically. The brand [used to air] in a half-hour slot on weekends on Nick Jr. and is now airing [multiple] times a day, at key times of the day, seven days a week on Nick Jr. thanks to the strong ratings.We want to create long-term plans to ensure we are building an evergreen brand.We will start to expand our reach in terms of retailers with product offerings currently on Amazon.com and in Walmart later this year. Going forward in the U.S. with Peppa Pig, 2015 will be an exciting year as we look to build bigger marketing efforts. We will begin television advertising with our key partners, as well as creating our own expanded marketing campaigns. Also, 2015 will see the launch of a live stage show as well as more costume character events to extend the brand experience with our fans.

TV KIDS: What do you look for in licensing and merchandising partners?

DUMONT: Our approach has always been to create licensing programs that are relevant to the individual territory. To that end, we seek local licensees that have expert knowledge of their home market. It’s far more time intensive than appointing a limited number of multi-territory or global partners; however, the benefits of appointing partners who understand the nuances of their market in terms of retailers, consumers and the broadcast platforms are clear for all to see.

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