Licensing World May 2018

Page 37

Vegas Licesning Expo

Sony Pictures Consumer Products (310) 244 6189 | www.sonypictures.com

Stand 214 Sony Pictures Consumer Products 2018 film licensing opportunities include franchises and all-new properties. The Hotel Transylvania franchise has welcomed the third instalment - Hotel Transylvania: Summer Vacation – while new franchise film opportunities include the Men In Black spinoff, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, and Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween. Known for its library of classics, Sony is gearing up for big celebrations this year including Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary, The Karate Kid 35th anniversary, the 10th anniversary of Step Brothers, and more.

The Pokémon Company International 0207 381 7000 | www.pokemon.com Stand G196

One Animation (+65) 627 31785 | www.Oddbods.com Stand L226 The Emmy nominated series Oddbods has expanded its global footprint at a fast pace and is now available to view in over 150 countries across 30 broadcasters. The show’s free to air, cable, VOD and SVOD platforms include the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Netflix, with the latter recently securing an additional 30 new episodes. Meanwhile, the show’s digital audience numbers are increasing rapidly; Oddbods’ YouTube channel is now averaging 9m daily views whilst a recent slew of gaming and consumer products partnerships are increasing the brand’s touch-points still further. Launching through to Q3 this year will be a series of mobile games for iOS, Android and Google Play platforms in partnership with leading developers including Sega that combine freemium game play with formats including Augmented Reality (AR) features. Also joining the progressive portfolio of digital gaming is a Virtual Reality (VR) freemium game offering a 360 fully immersive viewer experience, available on Google Cardboard, Google Daydream and Samsung Gear VR. Pursuing international cross-category ambition for the brand, One Animation has appointed Kids Station and Bentex Group as master toy and apparel licensees respectively in North America, and this summer will see the brand launch across select Target stores in the territory. Additionally, The Cookie Company will produce a range of apparel reflecting the brand’s on trend values via a pan-European deal. Throughout summer, the Oddbods will be surprising fans with integrated activities including influencer marketing and experiential events for kids and families.

Pokémon enjoyed a successful 2017, and looks forward to launching a slew of new products this year ahead of further expansion which is currently in the pipeline for 2019. In a first for the property, the Detective Pikachu live action movie, directed by Rob Letterman, is currently in production in the UK for May 2019 release. Its cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Rita Ora and Bill Nighy. On the small screen, Pokémon Go has launched a new research feature and introduced new community day events encouraging the millions of players worldwide to play together across the globe. According to NPD data, Pokémon is Europe’s leading strategic card game with over 82% of the market share, and the brand saw 42% UK growth last year, rounding out 2017 by winning Pocket Money Toy of the Year at the Toy Industry Awards. Pokémon continues to drive extensive retail promotions with leading retailers to provide an immersive experience for fans and to help drive sales. Pokémon arrived on Nintendo Switch late last year with the launch of Pokkén Tournament DX. Along with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, an exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS, these latest titles helped Pokémon video games to top 300m sales worldwide since its launch in 1996. Meanwhile the newest Nintendo 3DS release, Detective Pikachu, has been well received. Following the theatrical release for Pokémon Movie 20: I Choose You, shown at special two-day cinema events, Pokémon has significantly increased the reach and availability of its animation in the UK. Pop and Sky UK Limited are airing multiple seasons and movies from Pokémon’s programming portfolio on their various platforms. CITV is also currently airing the latest series The Pokémon Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Adventures, which includes the 1000th episode of the long-running TV franchise. Wicked Cool Toys’ first Pokémon master toy range, distributed by Character Options in the UK and Eire, hits retail in July this year having been well received by the trade, winning the London Toy Fair Editor’s Choice 2018 Award. The comprehensive new range features innovative toys across plush, figures and role play items. Pokémon’s innovation has earned the company a number of awards including two Best Game BAFTAs for Pokémon Go at the BAFTA Games Awards/Children’s Awards, and Best Handheld/Mobile Game for Pokémon Sun & Moon at the Golden Joysticks in November. Throughout the rest of the year, Pokémon is highlighting some of the most sought-after Pokémon with monthly video game character distributions, new TCG products, and mobile game animation and retail promotions.

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