The animation studio ZAG continues its rapid global growth as it hires Megalicense for representation in Russia.
The deal with Megalicense also covers the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which also includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
“Megalicense is the premiere licensing agency across Russia and CIS, and we are delighted that they will be spearheading the consumer products activities for ZAG, said Julian Zag, the EVP of Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products at ZAG. “This is an exciting time for Miraculous, with over 200 global licensees and retail sales achieving over $1 billion last year. Coming up this year is our US$100M+ animated feature supported by a global QSR program, the season five series premiere, and new mobile and console games amongst many other initiatives.”
Megalicense will now be tasked with licensing and merchandising plan for the ZAG Heroez brand portfolio. That would include the international mega hit Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Power Players, and ZAG’s new series Ghostforce.
“Our newest series, Ghostforce, which had its world premiere last August on TF1 in France, is already resonating with kids as we are seeing an increase in tons of activity across our social media channels,” Zag said. “And, we have Power Players, which is gaining traction in Russia where it currently airs on Karusel!
“We look forward to working with Megalicense to develop a robust licensing program for these original IPs throughout the region.”
Megalicense is the leading licensing agency in Russia and the CIS countries, and provides licensing and marketing services for physical and digital products.
Over the years the Megalicense team brought to the market such brands as Angry Birds, Peppa Pig and Robocar Poly, and was also involved in the licensing and retail program of the 2018 World Cup, being the FIFA master licensee.
Today Megalicense represents the world’s largest copyright holders in the CIS region, including Warner Media (Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, HBO), Sanrio, Sony Pictures, Alpha Toys, Carte Blanche, Wargaming, TV Tokyo Corporation, Crunchyroll SAS and many others.
The agency will work together with ZAG’s Helena Perheentupa, Vice President of Licensing for Central, Eastern and Northern Europe and Russia.
“We are so proud to start our long-term collaboration with the ZAG portfolio of brands,” says Friderico Gatti, CEO of Megalicense. “Our initial focus will be Miraculous, one of the most successful brands for the 6-12 target audience globally.
“Over 220 million products have been sold to date around the world and we see huge opportunity to further grow the brand across Russia with a focus on apparel—following successful collaborations with giants such as GUESS and ZARA—alongside back-to-school, footwear, outdoor, accessories, homeware, textiles and many others.
“We have no doubt that Miraculous will continue its success in Russia, and we look forward to introducing Ghostforce and Power Players to potential licensing partners across the region,” Gatti added.
Miraculous is ranked by IMDB amongst the Top 10 Best Animated Shows in the last 20 years.
Season four of Miraculous is currently available across Russia and CIS on Disney Channel, with season five set to premiere in Q3. Ghostforce is currently available across Russia and CIS on Disney Channel, and a toy line for the series from ZAG Lab and Playmates will be available in 2023.
Ghostforce was acquired by Disney Channel in the US and is currently available on Disney XD. The series is available across Europe, and the Middle East on Disney Channel and on Discovery Kids in Latin America, with launches planned in Japan and India this year. The series had its world premiere in France on TF1 in August 2021 with an audience share of over 35%.