SPORTS DRIVERS
The state of play
Above: Benfica plans to continue using licensing as a tool to reach over 50 million fans around the world.
Inset: Matthieu Battini, EMEA sales director, Global
Licensing International’s 2023 Global Licensing Industry Study Licensing Group valued the industry at $356.5bn, an increase of 4.6%. One of the best performing categories was sports licensing. Now worth $39.5bn, it is 11% of the entire global licensing market. Matthieu Battini, EMEA sales director, Global Licensing Group, explains what’s driving sports licensing’s success and what the future holds.
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t Brand Licensing Europe, we’ve never doubted the growth potential of sports licensing and the opportunities it offers retailers and manufacturers. That’s why in 2018 we established a Sports Zone to increase brands’ discoverability. Seeing it grow every year, and attract new brands from a widening variety of sports and countries, proves it was the right thing to do. This year, 30 brands will feature in the area, around half of which are from the world of European football: AC Milan, Chelsea Football Club, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, FC Porto, Federação Portuguesa de Futebol, Federation Francaise Football, Manchester City Football Club, Real Madrid CF, West Ham United Football Club, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, The FA and UEFA Club Competitions. The drivers In the last edition of Licensing Sports Book, we talked about the four drivers behind sports clubs, athletes, tournaments and associations creating and growing brand licensing programmes.
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There is revenue, of course, but also the need to reach fans beyond the stadium and outside the loyal core. This is reflected in a comment from West Ham United Football Club’s licensing lead John Allwood, who says: “With Julen Lopetegui having recently joined as head coach, it’s certainly an exciting new era for our fans in London and around the world and we look forward to offering them even more ways to engage with the club through brand licensing.” And also from SL Benfica’s senior licensing manager Miguel Pereira: “Benfica’s licensing programme includes diverse categories, both physical and digital, not only for the Portuguese market, but also for European and global territories. Benfica plans to continue using licensing as a tool to reach over 50 million fans around the world, creating, improving and growing its partnerships.” Another driver is the increase in brand collaboration. When it comes to sports collabs, traditional partnerships can be hugely successful – Tour de France x Rapha, Wimbledon x Ralph Lauren and Formula 1 x TAG Heuer.
LICENSING SPORTS BOOK 2024
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13/09/2024 14:00