The Licensing Letter

Sports

Tom Brady Noses Out Peyton Manning for Top Player Merchandise Sales

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Peyton Manning may have retired with a Super Bowl ring but he was unable to overtake his career-long rival Tom Brady at the cash registers. The NFLPA announced that Brady led all NFL players in merchandise sales for the year, Manning's last as a pro. Peyton had to settle for the second spot. The NFLPA Top 50 list covers physical and online retail … [Read more...] about Tom Brady Noses Out Peyton Manning for Top Player Merchandise Sales

Trends in Sports Licensing: Women, New Models and Hot Markets

The following is an excerpt from TLL’s feature story on sports licensing. See the complete run-down here, including breakdowns by league, product category and distribution channel. While the extent of growth in retail sales over the past two years (5% in 2014, 4.8% in 2015) may be a bit of an anomaly, the outlook of sports licensing is incredibly positive. The growing … [Read more...] about Trends in Sports Licensing: Women, New Models and Hot Markets

4.8% Growth in Retail Sales of Sports-Licensed Goods in 2015: Stellar Years for MLB, NBA, NASCAR and MLS

No Olympics? No problem. Sports licensing still thrived in 2015 at just below $14.8 billion in U.S./Canada sales, according to TLL's Annual Licensing Business Survey. For the second year in a row, sports outperformed every other sector with the exception of entertainment. Its 4.8% increase was double U.S. GDP growth (2.6%) and easily exceeded the 3.6% overall industry-wide … [Read more...] about 4.8% Growth in Retail Sales of Sports-Licensed Goods in 2015: Stellar Years for MLB, NBA, NASCAR and MLS

NBA Licensing, Like Basketball Itself, Is About Star Power

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. No league relies more heavily on star power than the NBA. From Bird and Magic to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and current golden boy and reigning MVP Stephen Curry, charismatic superstars own not just the hardwood but the store shelves. The Fashion Factor The NBA has been called the world's most fashionable and fashion-conscious sports league. Stephon … [Read more...] about NBA Licensing, Like Basketball Itself, Is About Star Power

5 Reasons MLB Hit a Licensing Grand Slam in 2015

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. 2015 was another strong year for sports licensing in the U.S./Canada. But while all leagues grew, few did better than Major League Baseball. Here are 5 reasons why: 1. New Stars As with other sports, baseball relies on stars to drive growth. The past few years has seen a changing of the guard as the Derek Jeters, Mariano Riveras and Big Papis (David … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons MLB Hit a Licensing Grand Slam in 2015

Super Bowl Spending to Top $15.5 Billion

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. The Super Bowl is big every year. But this year's 50th anniversary installment will be the biggest Super Bowl ever, at least from a consumption perspective. Just consider these numbers from the National Retail Federation: 188.9 million—Estimated TV viewers (as compared to 183.7 million last year) 17.7%—Percentage of viewers citing commercials as most … [Read more...] about Super Bowl Spending to Top $15.5 Billion

Big Fashion Licensors Taking Back Control of their Brands

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. The licensing model is one fashion trend that's unlikely to ever go out of style. But a growing number of fashion licensors—especially the bigger houses—are bucking the trend and taking back direct control of their brands. The most recent example is Puig, the Barcelona-based beauty company and owner of Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances, which earlier this … [Read more...] about Big Fashion Licensors Taking Back Control of their Brands

NFLPA Teams Up with TinyCo for “Family Guy” Game Promotion

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Most of the major pro team sports leagues in the U.S. use a two-tiered licensing model, in which the team owners, represented by the league, license the team names, logos and trade dress, and the players, represented by the union, license the players' names, likenesses, numbers and signatures. Historically, the lion's share of licensing revenue has … [Read more...] about NFLPA Teams Up with TinyCo for “Family Guy” Game Promotion

NASCAR Looks to Diversify Its Fan Base

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Last week's piece about NASCAR's efforts to reach out to women and minorities included a couple of inaccuracies that we'd like to correct: Average household income of NASCAR fans is $71,000 (via Nielsen Scarborough), not under $50,000 as we reported The note about Danica Patrick's taking the poll in her "first race," is incorrect. Although Danica … [Read more...] about NASCAR Looks to Diversify Its Fan Base