Last week License Global released their annual 'Top Global Licensors' report and it gives a great snapshot of the licensing industry, from the 93 brand owners that took part. It delivers a raft of insights; from which licensors are seeing growth, to which product categories have the most potential for growth over the coming years. You can download the full report here.
For those short on time though here are some of the takeouts for anyone looking to be in the know and to supercharge their licensing business.
- The Top Ten highest grossing licensors saw growth of 8% between 2023 and 2024 to reach a total of $208B
- The difference between The Walt Disney Company (#1) and Sanrio (#10) is huge, at $62B versus $8.8B
- Growth for all 93 licensors' submissions was 10%, growing to $307.9B
- The Walt Disney Company alone represents over 20% of the total submitted licensed product sales
- North America still dominates, with 60% of licensors having their HQ there, followed by EMEA (29%), APAC (10%) and LATAM (2%)
- Warhammer saw the highest percentage growth of 68% to $522M, helped by the huge success of Space Marine 2, followed by Sanrio at 65% driven by the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty
- NBC Universal saw huge percentage and $ growth at 48% and $5.5B
- Notable new entrants include LEGO (#45, $704M), Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group (#60, $414M) and Libertas Brands with the Fuggler brand taking them to #89 and $56M
- Product categories that IP owners feel have the highest potential for growth in the coming year are apparel, toys/games, food and beverage and location based experiences
- Although North America remains the region with the most strategic importance for growth with 69% of those surveyed, APAC wasn’t far behind with 59%
- The most successful licensing programs deliver brand storytelling across physical, digital and events
- As well as continuing to deliver digital experiences, licensed brands must build and maintain authentic and emotional connections with fans
- Heritage brands that can appeal to multiple generations will see strong engagement and sales
- Partnering strategically with licensees that can help IPs tap into local culture and values remains key in global expansion into new regions