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Autumn/Fall 2018

TOTAL LICENSING CHINA SUPPLEMENT Autumn/Fall 2018

Autumn 2018 Co-Publisher Editor-in-Chief Francesca Ash francesca@totallicensing.com Co-Publisher Jerry Wooldridge jerry@totallicensing.com Editorial Director/ Editor Rebecca Ash becky@totallicensing.com Business Development Joanna Cassidy joanna@totallicensing.com Office Manager Helen Bowerman helen@totallicensing.com Subscriptions and Circulation www.totallicensing.com/ subscribe.html

Total Licensing China Supplement is published as a special issue of Total Licensing magazine.

Total Licensing Ltd 4 Wadhurst Business Park Faircrouch Lane Wadhurst East Sussex TN5 6PT England Tel: +44 1892 782220 Fax: +44 1892 782226 www.totallicensing.com Japan Agent Roger Berman, ZenWorks rmb@zenworks.jp

The Victoria & Albert Museum.......................................... 6 Activision Blizzard Updates................................................ 8 News.......................................................................................10 The China Market at a glance.........................................16 China Market Statistics......................................................17 Empire Grows Kids,Teens and Adult Brands.........18, 26 The World of Esports..........................................................22 Licensing in India.................................................................24 Entertainment One in China............................................28 Ink Brands Go Global..................................................29, 44 Hong Kong Licensing Show...............................................30 Juventus - From Football to Global Brand.....................31 Cracké in China....................................................................33 Viacom/Nickelodeon in Asia.......................................34, 40 Chinese Children’s Publishing....................................38, 48 Retail - Online vs Bricks & Mortar.................................45 What’s On and more.........................................................50

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Welcome to the first-ever Total Licensing special China supplement. As you can see from the following pages, we have made this bilingual and we hope that you find the issue useful and informative. Our plan is to publish this on a regular basis and the Supplement is intended to help those in China see what is happening in terms of licensing in other parts of the world as well as educate those in North America, Europe and further afield about activities in the growing Chinese marketplace. This first edition will be distributed at the China Licensing Expo as well as at the Shanghai Children’s Book Fair. Within these pages you will find information about some key licensing industry companies, such as US giants Viacom/

Nickelodeon and Activision as well as European companies such as Ink Brands, the world-renowned V&A and Juventus Football Club - the Italian soccer club that is fast becoming a globally recognised brand. The issue also includes an indepth look at the licensing market in India which is growing significantly. We also spotlight the global issue of online retail against bricks-and-mortar retail. Total Licensing will be at the China Licensing Expo. Do stop by our stand E1G68 and say hello. We would love to hear from you.

Activision Blizzard 1 Australian Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair 51 Beano Entertainment 13 China Children’s Book Fair 19 China Licensing Expo 15 LIMA 11 Licensing Japan 27 One Animation 21 Roi Visual 2, 3 Sesame Street 5 ToyPro/Spacetoon 52 V&A 7 Viacom/Nickelodeon 13

Francesca Ash Jerry Wooldridge Co-Publisher Co-Publisher francesca@totallicensing.com jerry@totallicensing.com

www.licensing.org/china/ twong@licensing.org

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IMG PARTNERS WITH TETRIS BRAND TO NELVANA, WEKIDS LAUNCH PRODUCTS IN ASIA AND TOONBOOM The Tetris Company who license the Tetris brand’s rights worldwide, has appointed IMG as its merchandise and licensing representative to launch a range of products in the Asian market until 2020. In celebration of the Tetris brand’s 35th anniversary, which takes place in 2019, IMG will target key product categories including apparel, fashion accessories, bags and backpacks, footwear, consumer electronics, home décor, furniture and more. The collection will be

launched in Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and also through select retailers in Japan.

ENDEMOL SHINE APPOINTS CHINESE AGENT FOR SIMON’S CAT Endemol Shine Group recently announced the appointment of agent Block 12 to oversee licensing opportunities in China for Simon’s Cat. The multi-year deal from Endemol Shine China, will see Block 12 explore licensing categories including toys, FMCG, apparel and publishing in the region. Block 12 will also manage the Simon’s Cat social media accounts and shopping mall events for the brand in China. Globally successful animated comedy

series Simon’s Cat celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, marking a decade since award-winning illustrator, animator and director Simon Tofield uploaded the first Simon’s Cat animation, Cat Man Do, to YouTube. The digital comedy series has gone on to amass over 4.75 million subscribers and more than 980 million views on YouTube with 5.9 million fans on the official Facebook Page and over 765k followers on Instagram. The Simon’s Cat brand extends into a number of successful global consumer offerings across gaming, publishing, stationary, apparel and giftware including an apparel launch in Primark stores across Europe; nearly 2 million books sold in 30 countries; digital stickers for iOS and Facebook (75+ million downloads to date); and mobile games including the recently launched endless runner Simon’s Cat Dash, and last year’s release Simon’s Cat Crunch Time which has topped 8 million downloads globally.

WOWWEE SIGNS WITH PINKFONG Consumer robotics and entertainment company WowWee has signed an licensing agreement with Korean educational startup Pinkfong. The deal will see WowWee create products that highlight Pinkfong’s commitment to education. “We’re excited to embark on a strategic partnership with Pinkfong and look forward to our teams collaborating on this exciting brand,” said Richard Yanofsky, president and co-founder, WowWee. “Pinkfong produces content that deeply resonates with a global audience and expertly harnesses it across digital platforms to drive meaningful engagement.” The initial WowWee Pinkfong consumer product range is set to debut in fall 2019.

Nelvana, WeKids, and Toon Boom Animation have announced that their joint initiative, China Tales Incubator has has officially opened its online portal for submissions. The partners are committed to discovering new talent and developing, producing, and distributing original, cutting-edge kids’ animation from China to global audiences. China-based creatives – animators, writers, illustrators, storytellers, and artists – are now invited to submit their comedic, character-driven concepts for kids via the China Tales Incubator website. Accepted in either Mandarin or English, submissions must include a working title, target demo, proposed format, summary, and a maximum of five illustrations. The winning concept will be put into development through the partnering companies with the goal of creating an animation test or trailer to then take the concept to the international market for distribution, licensing, and merchandising. To kick-off the initiative, Nelvana, WeKids, and Toon Boom Animation hosted six China Tales Incubator Workshops in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. Specialists in writing, developing, and producing animation from the three companies will be introducing the incubator program to attendees. Chinese animation studios, broadcasters, streaming platforms, animation academies, and independent animators, writers, and artists were all invited to attend these workshops. Manman Chen, COO of WeKids said, “We are delighted to be working with world leaders in the animation industry to identify and bring to the Chinese and world markets animation created by the best and brightest Chinese animators, writers and illustrators. Nelvana is the perfect partner to recognize, produce and distribute Chinese-inspired properties across the world. Toon Boom Animation will be a terrific collaborator in bringing these series to the screen. We are excited to be part of this historic partnership.”

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Chart 1: Properties by Category

Chart 2: Properties by Regions

Entertainment 54% Art & Design14% Lifestyle13% Corporate/Brand 9% Non-Profit 5% Celebrity 3% Sports 2%

Chart 3: Licensees by Industry Category Toys 18%

Theme Space 7%

Infant 6%

Sports 2%

Apparel 13%

Accessories 6%

Stationery 5%

Music/Video 2%

Gifts 8%

Publishing 6%

Software/Video Games 5%

Others 6%

Home Textiles 7%

Food & Beverage 6%

Consumer Electronics 3%

Chart 5: How Chinese licensees find licensor partners?

Chart 4: Increase of Sales driven by Licensing 20-49% increase 1-19% increase Over 100% increase 50-99% increase No big difference

Chart 8: Purchasing by Retail Channels

Toys 16% Infant 10% Apparel etc 12% Home Textiles 11% Publishing 10% Electronics 9% Gifts 7%

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EMPIRE GROW KIDS, TEENS AND ART BRANDS Empire Multimedia Corporation (EMC) has been in the licensing business for more than 30 years and has established an excellent business partnership with global companies in both merchandise and promotional licensing. Empire’s brand properties continue to expand across Southeast Asia and Greater China, from lifestyle, characters, classic, popular brand properties and even major global entertainment companies. The company has a massive range of brand properties that will maximize potential in the children’s market. Nowadays, kids represents an important demographic to marketers and they have this purchasing power that influences their parents’ buying decision. Because of this, Empire partnered with multinational family entertainment companies to bring educational materials, quality entertainment and very positive brands. The selections from video online games to publishing materials are the new licensing trends that continue to grow. Empire also carries some feline characters designed to bring a smile to everyone’s face like the Angel Cat Sugar, a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, the original creator of Hello Kitty. Comic books have become a positive influence on society especially on pop culture. Arcana is an innovative leader in the development of intellectual properties by producing extensive storytelling with compelling art. It owns one of the world’s largest libraries of graphic novels and now opened an animation division. Empire’s list of licensed children’s

brand includes Fruit Ninja, which was well received by critics and consumers. Another family-friendly brand is Cut the Rope, a physics-based puzzle video game that won the 7th British Academy Video Games Award in 2011. The character Om Nom has become the subject of a viral video, plush toys and a Mattel Apptivity game. In addition to its commercial success, it was also featured in a promotional campaign of a leading fast-food chain in the world. Talking Tom and Friends is an animated video game and web series that is known and loved by fans all over the world

TEENS How can brands give a nod to teen culture while staying true to themselves? Authenticity is the core to getting it right. Brands like Epic Rights artists such as Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Journey, Duran Duran, Kiss, Wham!, AC/DC and Lyrics by Lennon & McCartney are the licensing roster that Empire is carrying. Also included in the roster is Woodstock which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in August 2019 with

ART AND DESIGN

a concert festival that will take everyone back in time to 1969! Woodstock is known as one of the greatest happenings of all time and perhaps the most pivotal moment in music history. Fido Dido, the cartoon character created by Joanna Ferrone and Sue Rose was popular worldwide and gave much attention in early 1990’s when he appeared on numerous products under a Pepsi Co brand.

The black and white cartoon mascot recently made a comeback but in a limited time in India under the same beverage brand. Today, Empire welcomes new licensees for Fido Dido in other territories and it is really making a comeback. Paramount Pictures and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) are also under the umbrella of brand properties that Empire is offering to licensees across the Asia and Greater China. One of America’s oldest motion picture company, Paramount has set the standard in cinema for a century and continues to deliver high caliber of entertainment to audiences worldwide. WWE’s success in licensing is primarily due to the increasing popularity of the superstars of wrestling.It is a lifestyle entertainment, pop-culture brand with an age distribution of fans from kids to adults.

Art and design brands are also included in Empire’s catalog of properties. The company carries the brand names of well-known artists and designers with contributions to the history of art as well as the history of Rock n’ Roll. From surrealism to art typography to pop art, Empire’s licensees for these brands have wide varieties of product lines. The photography and portrait artworks of Sidney Maurer comprising great Hollywood legends as well as leaders and sports celebrities. Brands represented include Salvador Dali, award-winning Belgian artist Dominique Cari. Empire will exhibit at the China Licensing Expo this October.

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Consumer products, activations and collaborations for Nickelodeon in Asia Pacific The Asian marketplace is an important one for Viacom/Nickelodeon and they are forging ahead with consumer product programs, activations and collaborations. To find out more, Total Licensing talked to Mark Kingston, Senior Vice President of International and Jack Yew, Vice President, Location Based Experiences Asia, Viacom International Media Networks. To begin, we take a look at the new Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products group that brings together all consumer products across Viacom brands, including Paramount Pictures.

A Global Consumer Products Organisation In May, Viacom announced the newly formed Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products unit led by Pam Kaufman, President. In her new role, Kaufman has global oversight of the consumer products business across Viacom Media Networks and Paramount Pictures. The unified, global consumer products organization will provide strategic focus to maximize

Viacom’s portfolio of brands and iconic franchise properties, including Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob SquarePants, MTV’s Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Comedy Central’s South Park, Paramount Pictures’ The Godfather, Grease and Top Gun, amongst others. Consumer Products is a key strategic pillar for Viacom President and CEO, Bob Bakish, and creating VNCP gives the company one voice at retail for ‘Every age, Every aisle, Everywhere around the world’. At the time of the announcement, Bakish commented: “Expanding and diversifying our consumer products businesses around the world is a key strategic initiative that will help drive Viacom’s future growth. The exceptional leadership and vision Pam has demonstrated at Nickelodeon make her a natural fit for this exciting new position, and her appointment will accelerate our efforts in building this important global business.” The addition of MTV, Paramount and Comedy Central brands to VNCP globally feeds into Kaufman’s strategy to develop a diverse intellectual property portfolio. Long known as the number-one entertainment brand for kids and top five licensor; Nickelodeon’s iconic pre-school fran-

chises from Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues to the current monster hit, PAW Patrol and latest hit series, Top Wing are loved by kids and families around the world. The additional Viacom brands will allow VNCP to develop fashion and lifestyle programs for adults alongside its strength in kids. Under Kaufman’s leadership, Nickelodeon already developed several cutting-edge collaborations with some of the biggest names in fashion, sports

TOTAL LICENSING CHINA SUPPLEMENT Toy Association and for ‘Young Property of the Year’ at the 2018 China Licensing Awards.

and social media, including Jeremy Scott, Carmelo Anthony, Vans, New York lifestyle brand KITH, (RED) and teen sensation JoJo Siwa. In Asia-Pacific, Nickelodeon launched collaborations in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia for its SpongeBob Gold campaign. Additionally, streetwear brand, OXYGEN, launched a collection in partnership with Nickelodeon’s Nick 90s. The range included tops, hoodies, shorts and accessories for men and women featuring classic animated series Rugrats and Hey Arnold! in more than 100 stores across the Philippines. On the MTV front, Japanese fashion brand, XLARGE, launched a series of MTV coach jackets that incorporated Tshirts printed with logo graphics and embroidery. On the pre-school side, PAW Patrol continues to be a massive global phenomenon. In Asia-Pacific, PAW Patrol was recognised as the ‘Young Property of the Year 2017’ at the Hong Kong Licensing Show, ‘Pre-School License of the Year 2018’ from the Australian

Creating ‘must visit’ retail-tainment experiences remains a key part of VNCP’s strategy across Asia-Pacific. In 2018, activations included: Chinese New Year with PAW Patrol: Year of the Pups – a number of Chinese New Year events in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Philippines with PAW Patrol wishing everyone a ‘Happy Chinese New Year’ in mall events that attracted thousands. Further activisions included Shimmer & Shine in South East Asia - Nickelodeon’s Shimmer & Shine journeyed across Asia gaining fanfare and publicity with launches at Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia; and Nickelodeon Playground highlight tour - the first-of-its-kind tour in Malaysia featured Shimmer & Shine, PAW Patrol and Blaze and the Monster Machines in one integrated interactive experience across five malls in partnership with Astro. Another key strategy for Viacom is to develop new opportunities to reach kids off-screen. From live events to hotels to themes parks, ‘Location Based Experiences’ is a growing part of its business. Viacom recently announced Nickelodeon’s first indoor theme park in Asia and its largest indoor park in the world in Chongqing, China, the

company currently operates Slimefest in the US, South Africa, Italy, the UK and Spain, and PAW Patrol Live! continues its run around the world.

Key Asia-Pacific priorities for 2019 Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – a complete re-imagining of the Turtles for a new generation of kids; the new series returns to its comic book roots with hand-drawn 2D animation, lots of humour and tons of action.

Mark Kingston, Senior VP International

SpongeBob 20th Anniversary – the 20th Anniversary of Nickelodeon’s iconic character will be supported with year-long on-ground activations, on-air special episodes, games and a new app leading to a new feature film in 2020.

Nella the Princess Knight – Nella is a brand new heroine from Nick Jr and products will launch in Asia in 2018/2019.

Chinese New Year with Paw Patrol

Mark Kingston, Senior VP International Mark Kingston talked to Total Licensing about the new structure and how bringing everything together under one organization will make a difference. The new Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products organisation was announced at Licensing Show in May, what led to the decision to form a single consumer products team? Mark Kingston: Consumer Products is an important part of Viacom’s business

TOTAL LICENSING CHINA SUPPLEMENT and one of the key strategic pillars set out by our President and CEO, Bob Bakish. Bringing all our Viacom brands under one unified consumer products organization gives us a single voice at retail covering ‘Every age, Every aisle, Everywhere around the world’. This is important because having a diverse portfolio of intellectual property is important to our future growth. The addition of MTV, Paramount and Comedy Central brands gives us the runway to develop fashion and lifestyle programs for adults alongside our strength in kids.

Shimmer & Shine in South East Asia

Nickelodeon Playground in Malaysia

Why is having a diverse IP portfolio important to your strategy? Mark Kingston: Nickelodeon is known for its iconic pre-school franchises from Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues to our current monster hit, PAW Patrol and our next big preschool bet, Top Wing, but we know a diverse portfolio of properties gives us more opportunities at retail. Our goal is to offer something to ‘Every age, Every aisle, Everywhere around the world’.

JoJo Siwa is a great example. JoJo was our first-ever influencer consumer products program, and what makes JoJo so special is we were able to build excitement amongst licensees and retailers without TV support. JoJo’s success was built from her incredible social media fanbase – the Siwanators – and we were able to amplify her popularity by incorporating her into the Nickelodeon ecosystem. With JoJo, we created a new model for future talent-led consumer products programs, and Viacom’s investments in the influencer space will help amplify this strategy.

event activations across the region serve as a benchmark to how we can communicate and connect with consumers in a fun and creative way. We saw participation increase more than 120% year-on-year, and these events are an innovative way we expose our content to new audiences.

On the adult side, we already successfully developed several cutting-edge collaborations with some of the biggest names in fashion, including Jeremy Scott, Vans, and New York lifestyle brand KITH for Nickelodeon. Additionally, collaborations are also happening organically like Gucci’s use of the Paramount logo in its 2018 Fall Ready-to-Wear collection. With MTV, Paramount and Comedy Central now part of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products globally, we can take a strategic look at how we grow our adult business.

Upcoming launches of new toys with partners Alpha for SpongeBob Squarepants and Hasbro for Top Wing will complement new lines from Mattel for Shimmer & Shine and Sunny Day, Spin Master for PAW Patrol and Playmates for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

What are some of the Asia-Pacific CP successes you are most proud of? Mark Kingston: Our Asia-Pacific team have done a wonderful job leveraging our characters to create retail-tainment experiences. We executed more than 70 mall events across the region this year from the hugely popular PAW Patrol Chinese New Year events to regular stage performances in Singapore featuring Shimmer & Shine, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants and the recent successful JoJo Siwa three-city tour of Australia. Our strategy of continuous on-ground mall

Where are the key opportunities for growth across the region? Mark Kingston: We have identified opportunities across Asia to drive growth for our current franchise hit, PAW Patrol, as well as our portfolio of properties.

What are we excited about for 2019? Mark Kingston: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a big one for us. Rise is a complete re-imagining of the Turtles for a new generation of kids. Audiences will notice the handdrawn 2D animation, vibrant colours, brand-new stories, villains and worlds of Rise will feel very different from the 2012 series. The series launched in the US on September 17th and will launch across Asia-Pacific from October this year. We executed our most aggressive digital and sneak peek pre-release strategy in Nickelodeon history for Rise across YouTube, Nickelodeon channels, Nick.com, the Nick App and VOD platforms, and the series will receive the full muscle of Viacom behind its launch. Over the next 24 months, we will expand the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe to new worlds and new generations through the launch of new content, new products & partnerships, live experiences and more. Also big for us will be our latest preschool property, Top Wing, Sponge-

TOTAL LICENSING CHINA SUPPLEMENT Bob’s 20th Anniversary and, of course, continuing the phenomenal success of PAW Patrol.

Jack Yew, VP Location Based Experiences, Asia Viacom International Media Networks Jack Yew, talked to Total Licensing about their locationbased experiences. Viacom recently made a major announcement with the developers of Mall of China – Jiayuan Group, China Creation Group and Triple Five Group – to develop Nickelodeon’s 1st indoor theme park in Asia, which will also be Nickelodeon’s largest indoor theme park in the world when it opens in December 2020. Ahead of this opening, what are Nickelodeon’s plans in promoting Nickelodeon as a leading kids’ media entertainment brand in China? Jack Yew: Nickelodeon’s mission is to make the world a more playful place. And that means creating playful experiences through playful stories told on our shows, or creating playful experiences through location based experiences for kids and their families. As our business is diversified to be where our fans are, the Nickelodeon brand is frequently promoted across platforms. In China specifically, whether it is through Nickelodeon animation programs like SpongeBob SquarePants, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and PAW Patrol on children’s channel CCTV Kids and top video platforms such as iQIYI and Tencent Video, consumer products, gaming apps, live shows, exciting mall shows or promotional events throughout the year – all of which enable kids and their families to enjoy the experiences across different touch-points with both our brand and IPs. In terms of Live Shows, in 2017 Dora the Explorer ‘Pirate Adventure’ live ticketed event toured 15 Chinese cities in the summer.This year, both Dora the Explorer Live! ‘Search for the City of Lost Toys’ and PAW Patrol ‘Race to the Rescue’ live shows are touring in China. In terms of Mall Shows/ events

– Dora & Diego Summer Forest Party at Nanfengcheng Shanghai, SpongeBob SquarePants Summer Carnival at Chongqing Evergrande CC Plaza, PAW Patrol Rescue Party at both Deji Plaza at Nanjing and at Nanfengcheng Shanghai. How is the Asia business different from the rest of the world? Jack Yew: Our strategy for Asia is unique. Unlike the rest of the world, it’s the fastest-growing region for our business in Location Based Experiences. Our strategy is to establish Nickelodeon standalone exclusive theme parks and hotels in Asia where China is a major target market.With our rich library of IPs and content we are able to create immersive, fun and memorable experiences for kids and families. In addition to the Nickelodeon’s largest indoor theme park to be developed with the developers of Mall of China in Chongqing, we are also excited that the first Nickelodeon theme park in China is already under construction in Foshan, targeting to open by 2022. We look forward to sharing more plans in the lead-up to the opening of both Location Based Experiences in China. Separate from China, Nickelodeon’s 1st themed attraction in Asia, Nickelodeon’s Lost Lagoon, is already open as part of the Sunway Lagoon theme park in Malaysia.

How do you measure the return on investment for Viacom’s business in Locationbased Entertainment? Jack Yew: The Location Based Experiences business is still a small percentage of Viacom’s overall business, which monetizes content through distribution, ad sales and consumer products. The bigger point of return on investment for us is that it goes beyond revenue – it is how we deepen our relationship with our fans, viewers of our shows and new consumers we can reach. It’s a way to extend the brand. It is one thing to put our characters and shows on air. However, more often than not, people want to touch and feel those characters in a way you can’t do on screens. That’s the big return on investment for us. The time we invest licensing our IP equates to a deeper relationship with consumers who visit the parks and hotels. And over time, we obviously hope for this business to become increasingly significant, particularly in China and in Asia.

Jack Yew,VP Location Based Experiences

How does your partnering model work? And does it make it more efficient to go through a partner? Jack Yew: Our partnering model for both our Location Based Experiences and Consumer Products businesses is through an IP licensing model. While our aim is to extend the Nickelodeon brand, we approach licensing through a long-term lens and it is critical to identify like-minded partners with deep local market knowledge and who share our vision in creating quality and memorable experiences for kids and families Once that complementary relationship is struck, the synergy between parties is the catalyst to making the project a success.

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The Mojicons make a mark across China INK Global has announced that popular animation series The Mojicons is now riding high in China – thanks to an agreement with iQiyi, China’s largest video on demand service. The Mojicons is a delightful animation that follows the adventures of the Mojicons – the innumerable emoticons that, despite living in our emails and text messages, have no idea that they are part of a complex digital world! But when a computer crook steals the @ symbol, threatening all electronic correspondence, it falls to the Mojicons to restore the Web by undertaking a thrilling quest to get it back. The show has been eagerly accepted by many digital platforms – and broadcasters across the world have snapped up the show, whilst two Mojicons movies have also been successfully released. In China, all 26 episodes of The Mojicons first series, as well as the two feature films, launched in July on the iQiyi comics and animation channel. Content is available in both Chinese-dubbed and English versions and the show has proved to be a huge hit with Chinese viewers – recording over three million views in the first month since launch. “The fact that iQiyi has released The Mojicons’ on its platform is a clear sign of faith in not only the artistic quality of the show, but also its financial potential,” says Claus Tømming, Manag-

ing Partner, INK Group. “We are very excited to have such a strong partner on board to help us test the Chinese broadcast market and, by extension, the demand for licensed goods.” A further major Ink property is Zafari, a new series that taking the globe by storm thanks to beautiful animation and an uplifting story that highlights and celebrates diversity. Broadcasters across the world are snapping up rights with season one already showing, or due to show around the world including China on iQiyi. Season two is currently in production. The licensing community has been quick to spot the potential of Zafari, with Ultimate Source currently developing a toy line and Hachette on board for publishing. This inspiring tale has also attracted the attention of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF),

with each episode of Zafari featuring a video aimed at educating viewers about wildlife and wild places on our planet – the first ever deal of its kind. Masha and the Bear is the worldwide smash hit that is broadcast to millions through broadcasters in nearly every country in the world – as well as online through YouTube. The tale of the mischievous little girl who wraps her bear friend around her little finger transcends cultural boundaries and makes everyone laugh, regardless of who they are or where they live. Season three recently launched and has already been snapped up by channels in the UK, Italy, Turkey, MENA, France, Germany, Nordics, Asia, Greece and elsewhere, with the last few episodes set to be delivered in spring 2019. The hit series has also branched out into a cinematic release, with audiences across Europe flocking to special screenings of previously unseen content. This initiative has been so popular that it’s been extended across a host of other countries around the world, with release dates set between Q4 2018 and Q1 2019 Claus Tømming, Managing Partner, INK Group, says: “Both Zafari and Masha and the Bear demonstrate the overwhelming power of good storytelling, as this is at the heart of both these shows. They weave engaging and relatable tales that draw in audiences and keep them enthralled, which is why they are both so astonishingly successful.”

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THE CHINESE CHILDREN’S BOOK MARKETPLACE

A forum covering Trends in the Chinese Children’s Book Market was held at this year’s Bologna Book Fair and discussed this growing market with numbers backing up the evidence that the industry is expanding rapidly. For example, in 2016, some 779 million copies of children’s books were published in China. Assuming that all copies were sold, then each of the country’s 372 million children below 18 years of age would have 2.12 books. “During the same period, the U.S.’s children’s book sales hit 195 million copies, with each child having 3.2 books, and in the U.K., 66.334 million copies were sold, giving each child 5.37 books. This difference highlights the scale of the Chinese children’s book market as well as the immense growth opportunities to reach the level of the U.S. or U.K. book ownership,” said Li Xueqian, president of China Children’s Press & Publication Group, the forum’s host, as well as the president of the Chinese section of the International Board on Books for Young People. The children’s book sector continues

to be the most dynamic and fastest growing in the China. Since 2002, Chinese children’s publishing has maintained an annual growth rate of more than 10%; in 2017, the segment had a 21.18% year-on-year growth. Its retail market expanded 28.84% and 14.55% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. As for its overall market share, this segment occupied 23.52% in 2016, and 24.7% in 2017. However, there continues to be an unbalanced distribution of children’s books which remains a major issue for the developing country. “Children in the metropolis and developed regions read—and have access to—so many titles that they face difficulties in selecting what to read. But in the medium-sized cities and small townships, especially in the rural areas of less-developed regions, there are few books available to children. This has resulted in very low per capita ownership of books compared to many countries in the West. In 2016, there were 259,400 children’s titles in the Chinese retail market, which many believe is far too many. A

survey carried out, based on the data collected from over 100,000 respondents demonstrated that ‘not knowing what books to read,’ at 34.63%, was the second-biggest factor affecting children’s reading selection. For teachers, ‘too many titles, differences in students’ reading abilities, and not knowing which to choose’ was the biggest concern, at 47.21%. In terms of parents, 35.14% reported that they ‘do not know which books to buy for their children.’ ” These figures have resulted in many Chinese publishers shrinking their publishing programs, therefore reducing the number of new publications hitting the market. Some are cutting their publishing programs by 10%. Category-wise, of the 259,400 titles published in 2016, children’s literature accounted for one-third, while picture books and comics took up 23%. This composition is set to change with the new education reform taking effect in 2020, in which homework and standardized examinations will be reduced in order to move to an employment-oriented educational sys-

TOTAL LICENSING CHINA SUPPLEMENT tem. There will be more reading and reading services for schools. In fact, since 2014, the Chinese government has reformed the examination enrolment system, which is no longer based solely on test scores and pays more attention to practical problem-solving ability. The country’s second-child policy and the purchasing power of parents born during the 1985–1990 period—educated and young with high disposable income—will exert major influence in the development of the Chinese children’s book market. The development of children’s education and teaching materials based on the new education reform is another factor set to drive the segment’s growth.” Without doubt, the success of Harry Potter encouraged many publishers to venture into the children’s book market, and to create Chinese fantasy literature. It also marked the start of imports. In 2017, imports accounted for 41.03% of the Chinese children’s retail market, and 30.6% of total publications. Imports took up 34.61% of the market only three years previously. Many of the imports came from the UK, with the Harry Potter and Peppa

Pig series leading the list followed by EB White’s Charlotte’s Web from the US, The Little Prince from France and Totto-Chan:The Little Girl at the Window from Japan. Not surprisingly perhaps, the booming Chinese children’s book market has led to the creation of a children’s book fair—essentially, dedicated exhibition space that will be held concurrently with the 2018 Beijing International Book Fair. The first China International Book Fair (CCBF) was held in 2013. After five successful editions, CCBF has quickly become an important event for the global publishing industry. The fair provides a leading copyright exchange hub for children’s books. It plays an important role in promoting Chinese children’s literature internationally and reading culture among young children. This year’s event takes place from 9th to 11th November at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre. In 2018, CCBF is opening a magnificent new chapter by collaborating with Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) to bring new factors and enhance the professional side of the show.This year

CCBF is going to create three brand new Lounges:The Asia Pacific New Entry Lounge, The BOP – Bologna Prize Lounge and The Strega Prize Lounge. Meanwhile, The Literary Agents Centre, The Illustrators Survival Corner and Licensing Matchmaking Area will be brought together. CCBF has successfully brought together nearly 300 exhibitors from many professional backgrounds. Over 30,000 people participated in the three-day event last year. Participants include illustrators, designers, publishing houses and agencies, authors, literary agents, translators, content developers, packagers, printers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, education and training institutions, cultural institutions, librarians, teachers and children’s book lovers. Other than the exhibition itself, the fair offers a wide range of activities. Some of the notable activities are the Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition, the Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, the Authors Festival, the Shanghai Visiting International Publishers Programme, other professional seminars and events to promote reading and literacy amongst children.

For more information about the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair: Overseas contact BolognaFiere S.p.A. Ms. Mariaelena Schiavo Ph. +39-051282298 ccbf@bolognafiere.it Greater China contact BolognaFiere China Ltd. Ms. Juju Zhu Ph.+86-21-6190 7300*512 ccbf@bfchina.net www.ccbookfair.com

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Deer Little Forest gets Pan-Asian Amusement Park Deal In 2019 Deer Little Forest will become the first Arts & Lifestyle brand to kick off its Pan-Asian presence with indoor amusement parks across Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia…. before a single book, t-shirt or toy has been sold – such is the power of DLF’s appeal. On the heels of this ground-breaking deal, we learn a little more about the parks – and the team behind this one-of-a-kind brand.

The Deal Already under construction, the first of five indoor parks will open in Bangkok in June 2019. The parks are aimed at children and their families and feature educational, entertainment and sports activities, cafes and shops, and hang-out areas for parents and carers. DLF will be the official mascot providing visual branding throughout the park as well as its own line of merchandise in the stores.

Jo Rose – Creator Jo is a Henrys-nominated UK artist, and the creative force behind DLF and preschool TV show Flora & Fauna. Jo established her name in the world of greeting cards, selling to top retailers including Liberty, Selfridges, Harrods, John Lewis, and Paperchase. Her instantly recognizable characters were inspired by her love of the New Forest and Scandinavian folklore. Jo is the Creative Director of Koko Rose Media, a JV with Lisa Hryniewicz.

Lisa Hryniewicz After falling for Jo’s illustrations at BLE a few years ago, Lisa and Jo formed a partnership that brought DLF to a global stage and created preschool TV series Flora of the Forest. Flora of the Forest (52x11) showcases Jo’s signature patterned design and unique style in bright and beautiful CG animation, with fabulous 360 licensing potential.

Agents DLF is represented by superb agents that entirely grasp the spirit and values of DLF, and are at the heart of their brand’s momentum. THIS IS IRIS (BLE Stand P20), headed by Sarah Lawrence is a renowned leader of Arts & Lifestyle licensing in the UK. Sarah says: “Jo’s distinctive art style has attracted many key partners in the UK and across the world with key categories such as publishing already under development. Jo’s love of storytelling and her attention to detail shines through each and every element of this collection. These loveable woodland creatures immediately lend themselves to many original collaborative opportunities which are well under discussion.”

Japan based Honmoku File (BLE Stand K20) is headed by Nobutaka Nagai, former agent for Disney’s parks in Japan, DisneySea and Disneyland Japan - perfectly positioned to broker the Pan-Asian Park deal. Mr. Nagai says, “It is a breakthrough for DLF to be chosen to brand a theme park since typically these projects go to commercial properties who sponsor the parks. DLF has been selected to bring a fresh sense of fun and fantasy to the theme park, thanks to the elegant and intelligent qualities of the brand.” In the US, Jonathan Symington (The Lantic Group) brings his 15 years of Disney publishing and licensing experience to the table. “Jo and Lisa have built a truly unique lifestyle brand with a beautiful art style that will appeal to kids and parents alike, as well as give licensees and retailers a fresh new qualitative property to add to their assortments.”

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