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CraveTV joins forces with New Metric Media

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CraveTV joins forces with New Metric Media

CraveTV has joined forces with New Metric Media, the producer of Letterkenny to build the small-town, smash hit comedy beyond the series itself into a worldwide entertainment brand.

The initiative is a comprehensive multi-year partnership that includes an unprecedented production commitment, investment in the support of any existing and new ancillary brand extensions, and a partnership on the international sales and distribution of the series, alongside DHX Media.

In the comprehensive agreement, CraveTV and New Metric Media will partner on the production of more than 40 new episodes. With seasons 1-3 already streaming, the agreement commits to a total of at least 73 episodes of the award-winning original comedy.

CraveTV’s commitment to brand support includes the continued cross-platform marketing campaigns for the series as well its brand extensions including sought-after the Letterkenny merchandise and the highly successful Puppers Premium Lager in partnership with Stack Brewery in Sudbury.

As well, the partnership includes cross-promotional support for the just-announced, 26-city  Letterkenny LIVE! tour, a 90-minute comedy experience starring Jared Keeso (Wayne), Nathan Dales (Daryl), K Trevor Wilson (Dan) and Mark Forward (Coach), kicking off in Halifax on February 28th next year with plans to extend into the U.S.

Finally, CraveTV and New Metric Media’s multi-year commitment includes partnering on the sale and distribution of the series and its format, alongside DHX Media, to the international market. The series and format was officially rolled out to International buyers this week at MIPCOM in Cannes, France.

“Wth its devoted audience on CraveTV and buzzworthy appeal, Letterkenny is carving out a permanent place in Canadian pop culture,” said Justin Stockman, Vice-President, Pay and OTT Services, Bell Media. “Alongside our partners at New Metric Media, we’re committed to sharing Letterkenny with the world by bolstering all facets of the Letterkenny brand both in Canada and internationally.”

“Working with the CraveTV team has been solid from the get-go so, we’re excited to crack open even more six-packs of Letterkenny with them,” said Mark Montefiore, New Metric Media. “It’s truly a pleasure to present this comedy to the international industry with a dedicated partner who really ‘gets it’.”

Based on the internet sensation Letterkenny Problems, the half-hour comedy – and now bona fide cultural phenomenon – is currently a top performer and marquee program for the streaming service since it made it memorable launch on Super Bowl Sunday 2015.

As previously announced, a special Halloween episode of Letterkenny, “The Haunting of MoDean’s II”, began streaming last week exclusively on CraveTV. Another six-pack of new episodes is set to launch later this year.

Shot on location in and around Sudbury, Letterkenny revolves around the dustups Wayne (Jared Keeso) and his buds get into with their small-town rivals. The Hicks, The Skids, and The Hockey Players get at each other about the most mundane things, often ending with someone getting their ass kicked.

Season 1 of Letterkenny took home three 2017 Canadian Screen Awards: Best Comedy Series, Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series, and Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series. As well, series creator Jared Keeso and co-writer and director Jacob Tierney took home a Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award for TV Comedy. Seasons 1 – 3 are currently streaming on CraveTV and Season 1 is also available on iTunes and Google Play.

Letterkenny is produced by New Metric Media, in partnership with DHX Media and Playfun Games in association with Bell Media, with the participation of Canadian Media Fund, OMDC Tax Credits and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and distributed by DHX Media. Jared Keeso is executive producer, co-writer, star, and creator, Jacob Tierney is executive producer, director, and co-writer. Mark Montefiore and Patrick O’Sullivanare executive producers for New Metric Media. Steven DeNure is  Co-Founder, President and COO of DHX Media. Sarah Fowlie is Director, Original Programming, Comedy, Bell Media. Production Executive for Bell Media is Bill Lundy. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Original Programming, Bell Media Mike Cosentino is President, Content and Programming, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Bell Media.

 

No further expansion of LEGO Dmensions

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No further expansion of LEGO Dmensions

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO Group have announced that they will cease production on further expansion packs of the toys-to-life game LEGO Dimensions.

Launched in 2015, LEGO Dimensions allows players to blend physical brick-building with an interactive video game that brought together a number of universes including DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings and The LEGO Movie.

The initial offering featured a video game, a starter pack that included the Lego Toy Pad (which lets players transport LEGO minifigures and objects into the game), bricks to build the LEGO Gateway, three LEGO minifigures and a LEGO Batmobile.

Players could then customize their experience with additional expansion packs, based on properties like LEGO Ninjago, The Wizard of Oz and Back to the Future.

Moving forward, new expansion packs will no longer be made. Existing packs will continue to work and remain available for sale. However, Warner Bros., TT Games and The LEGO Group will continue to provide ongoing server and customer support for all LEGO Dimensions packs.

The announcement comes about one year after LEGO Dimensions expanded its offerings. Sixteen new entertainment franchises including Ghostbusters, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Adventure Time and The Powerpuff Girls were added to the toys-to-life video game starting in September 2016 and into this year.

The 2016 LEGO Dimensions ramp-up was announced soon after news that Disney would close down its Infinity business after just three years in the market. At the same time, the House of Mouse announced it would stop self-publishing video game operations to focus exclusively on third-party licensed titles.

The Infinity series launched in 2013 and brought classic Disney and Pixar characters to life through connected physical figures.

Disney’s financial results offered a window into its decision to stop producing Infinity, which had been seeing lagging sales and high development costs for some time. For the period ended April 2, 2016, Disney’s Consumer Products & Interactive Media segment saw a 2% dip in revenues to US$1.19 billion, where low Infinity revenues were offset by higher licensing revenues. (The House of Mouse reported overall earnings of US$2.1 billion, marking an increase of US$35 million over the same period in 2015).

While the end of Infinity and LEGO Dimensions may send fears of category extinction for the toys-to-life universe, new players continue to enter the fray. In June, videogame developer Ubisoft (Just Dance) announced the launch of toys-to-life adventure game Starlink: Battle for Atlas.

Developed by Ubisoft Toronto for a worldwide launch in fall 2018, the game features entirely customizable Starlink toys that can be mounted onto a player’s game controller.

Users can then assemble their real-world starships by choosing different pilots, hulls, wings and weapons that lock into place. As each piece is physically added, they appear digitally within the game. The game will be available for Nintendo Switch, Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One.

 

Frederator Networks achieves 1 billion monthly views

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Frederator Networks achieves 1 billion monthly views

Frederator Networks (Frederator), a WOW! Unlimited Media company, has achieved 1 billion monthly views across all of the Frederator YouTube channels.

Frederator’s Channel Frederator Network is the largest animation and artist network in the world with over 3000 YouTube channels.

Frederator founded the Channel Frederator Network in 2013 and is the home of some of the biggest animation channels on YouTube including D0MICS, FilmCow and Jaiden Animation.

The network also includes channels from artists, journalists and many other categories of YouTube videos.

Frederator programmes its own channels on YouTube, including Channel Frederator Network (which started as a podcast in 2005), Cartoon Hangover, and video game centric The Leaderboard, which receive approximately 30 million views a month.

Fred Seibert, CEO of Frederator and Chief Creative Officer of WOW! Unlimited Media says, “Frederator is a creator focused shop. Working with these independent talents to build their audiences on YouTube gives Frederator an opportunity to find hit show creators and it gives us a remarkable insight into fans’ interests.”

In addition to the Frederator Network MCN channel, Frederator is in a joint venture with Mexico City based Ánime Estudios in the Átomo Network.

 

UFC in a multi-year licensing agreement with OPRO

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UFC in a multi-year licensing agreement with OPRO

UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization has entered into a new multi-year global licensing agreement with OPRO®, the world’s largest manufacturer of mouth guards.

The partnership, which begins in 2018 grants the oral protection company the rights to produce UFC branded mouth guards and provide bespoke guards to UFC athletes.

“OPRO has been a world-renowned manufacturer of mouth guards for more than 20 years and we are thrilled to launch this new global partnership,” said UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products Tracey Bleczinski. “As an industry pioneer, OPRO has designed some of the most innovative guards in sports and we look forward to delivering these premium products to UFC athletes and the combat sports community.”

As part of this collaboration, OPRO will be able to brand the products and packaging for their Custom Fit, Self-Fit and Snap Fit product ranges, providing oral protection guards to athletes currently on the active roster.

“OPRO has ambitious international expansion plans for the coming years, and partnering with another hugely progressive and pioneering brand who are growing exponentially all over the world, particularly in key markets for us such as Asia and the Americas, is truly exciting,” OPRO Chief Executive Officer David Allen said. “This partnership with UFC reflects our continued growth in the combat sports market and we look forward to working with them as we kit out more and more UFC athletes with OPRO guards,” he added.

UFC athletes will have the option of wearing mouth guards by OPRO while training or competing inside UFC’s world-famous Octagon. OPRO will also offer UFC branded guards to combat participants and fight fans for purchase at opromouthguards.com and through a network of key global retail partners.

OPRO will plan to showcase its new UFC product line in 2018 at ISPO in Munich, Germany from January 28 to 31 followed by Taispo from March 7 to 10 in Taipei, Taiwan and at IHRSA in San Diego, California from March 21-24 along with the rest of the OPRO licensed product range.

OPRO serves as the official mouth guard partner of a number of professional sporting organizations including Great Britain Taekwondo, England Boxing, England Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, Australia Rugby and England Hockey, as well as the German, French and Italian Mixed Martial Arts Federations.

Epic Rights in a partnership with Japan’s Pan Inc.

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Epic Rights in a partnership with Japan’s Pan Inc.

Epic Rights, a leading global music branding and merchandising company has got into a partnership with Japan’s Pan Inc. in order to develop concert artists’ fashion brands, television commercials, sponsorship and endorsements, themed restaurants, cafes and other themed experiences.

Epic Rights is a full-service global branding, licensing and rights management company dedicated to building celebrities and entertainment brands via its broad global network of retailers, licensees and agents.

“We are very excited to combine the efforts of our two companies to build strong revenue streams and generate new opportunities for western artists, entertainment brands and celebrities in the growing Japanese market,” said Dell Furano, Epic Rights’ CEO, and Pan Inc.’s CEO, Kunihiro Tsuji.

Epic Rights has broad relationships around the world and all-star clients including Madonna, Céline Dion, KISS, AC/DC, Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel, the Estates of John Lennon, David Bowie, Stevie Ray Vaughan, as well as music brands such as Woodstock, CBGB, Rock & Brews and fine art photography Rock Paper Photo.

Pan Inc. has extensive relationships with all major Japanese advertising agencies, technology companies, retailers and consumer brands. With these relationships, Pan will bring licensing and branding opportunities to Epic Rights’ artists and properties in the Japanese market, as well as manage Epic Rights’ e-commerce opportunities and Rock Paper Photo fine art rock photography business in Japan. Pan Inc. will also open the first Rock & Brews concert themed restaurant in 2018.

Senior Epic Rights’ executives Lisa Streff, EVP of Global Licensing, and Dan Levin will manage the day-to-day business with Pan Inc.

 

Sunrights appoints Rocket Licensing to manage its UK licensing

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Sunrights appoints Rocket Licensing to manage its UK licensing

Sunrights has appointed Rocket Licensing to manage the UK licensing for the third generation of boys’ action franchise, Beyblade Burst.

The franchise first appeared in the western markets way back in 2002, with the first season of the latest generation now airing in over 80 countries. In the UK, Beyblade Burst launched on POP Max this month.

Having enjoyed strong interest in the property at Brand Licensing Europe, Rocket is now looking to grow a licensing campaign that will focus on a wide range of categories.

These will include apparel, giftware, publishing, games and puzzles, back-to-school, confectionery, home textiles, nightwear and bedware, stationery, swimwear and calendars.

The launch campaign is expected to begin before Christmas and expand over 2018.

The global launch programme has already been supported by advertising agencies across multiple media and has also involved digital marketing, food promotions, PR and special events.

Toys are already rolling out in all territories. Hasbro has been appointed master toy licensee with a product line that includes stadiums, battle sets, launchers and more.

Charlie Davidson, joint managing director of Rocket Licensing, said, “After hundreds of episodes and almost 15 years as a hit show, toy and licensed brand, the level of excitement the Beyblade franchise generates remains awe-inspiring.Beyblade Burst adds some twists and new ideas that have already proved wildly popular in Asia and the US. We have no doubt that the show and brand will be a massive hit throughout 2017 and beyond.”

 

Netflix partners with fashion retailer Topshop

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Netflix partners with fashion retailer Topshop

Netflix has joined hands with fashion retailer Topshop for an exclusive Stranger Things collection and in-store experience.

To make matters more interesting, Topshop’s flagship store on London’s Oxford Street has been treated to a Stranger Things makeover.

This includes interactive window displays and installations based on memorable sets – including Joyce’s living room and the Hawkins Laboratory where fans can test their telekinetic powers.

The windows have been attracting a lot of attention from the Oxford Street crowds, with the launch of the range last week seeing queues of hardcore fans forming ahead of a special 7am opening.

 

The activity and apparel range has been launched just ahead of the arrival of new episodes of the hit supernatural thriller on October 27 while it will also be taking advantage of the key Halloween period.

The limited edition apparel collection includes t-shirts with logos and prints of characters and phrases used on the show.

 

Revenue of Hasbro up 7 pc in Q3 2017

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Revenue of Hasbro up 7 pc in Q3 2017

While Toys ‘R’ Us’ filing for bankruptcy in has undoubtedly impacted Hasbro’s bottom line, the Rhode Island-based toymaker saw its revenue climb by 7% to US$1.8 billion in Q3 2017.

Meanwhile, net earnings for the third quarter grew 3% to US$265.6 million while operating profit decreased slightly to US$360.9 million (compared to US$362.1 million last year).

Toys “R” Us, along with certain of its US and Canadian subsidiaries, voluntarily filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on September 18.

Moving into the holiday season, the retailer’s 1,600 Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores around the world will continue to operate along with its e-commerce sites.

The company announced that it will work with investors, debt holders and other creditors to restructure its US$5.2 billion in long-term debt, due between 2018 and 2021.

In light of the bankruptcy filing, Hasbro has updated its projection for Q4 2017, lowering its expectations to see gains of 4% to 7% over the same period last year.

In terms of category sales, Hasbro’s gaming section continues to lead growth. The segment saw a 22% increase in net revenue for a Q3 total of US$280.1 million, thanks in part to new social games including Speak Out and Fantastic Gymnastics (pictured).

The company’s total gaming category including Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly, which are included in Franchise Brands revenue was up 4% to US$424.8 million.

This momentum follows growth in the Gaming division in Q2 (with revenue increases of 6% to the tune of US$133.9 million) and Q1 (with a 43% jump in revenue to US$142.9 million).

Sales for Hasbro’s Franchise Brands grew by 7% to US$827.3 million, driven largely by Nerf, Transformers, My Little Pony and Monopoly. The company’s Emerging Brands division also saw an increase in revenue (up 9% to US$198.4 million) due to Baby Alive and Furreal Friends.

Chalkboard gets first kids’ commission from CBBC controller

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Chalkboard gets first kids’ commission from CBBC controller

 

Chalkboard TV, the London-based independent production company, has announced a new commission from CBBC controller Cheryl Taylor for a new school-based drama entitled Logan High, due to TX in early 2018 on iplayer.

The 60 x 10 minutes series will be executively produced by Mike Benson for Chalkboard with Paul O’Donohue as senior producer.

Chalkboard will produce the show out of its newly formed subsidiary Chalkboard Scotland, based in Glasgow.

Set in a fictional school in Edinburgh, Logan High is based on a successful scripted-reality format called First Years, which originally aired in the Netherlands.

The original format was devised and produced by Newen-owned Dutch indie Tuvalu Media Group for public broadcaster AVRO-TROS.

Logan High is structured on an improv-drama model whereby actors improvise scenario-based rather than dialogue-based scripts. The action centres around life in secondary school and the challenges, friendships, fads and fashions experienced by teens on the cusp of adulthood.

Mike Benson, managing director of Chalkboard and executive producer of Logan High added, “CBBC have backed us on a bold and exciting concept. We’re confident that Logan High will live up to expectation, immersing its young viewers in great stories and characters in new and exciting ways.”

 

CAA-GBG in association with Acamar Films boosts its extensive licensing programme

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CAA-GBG in association with Acamar Films boosts its extensive licensing programme

CAA-GBG in partnership with award-winning UK studio Acamar Films has boosted its extensive licensing programme for Bing by securing a deal with leading cake manufacturer BBF as well as renewing licensing deals with Dreamtex and Egmont Publishing.

Launching in Spring 2018, Bright Blue Foods, one of the leading manufacturers of retailer own label, licensed and branded cakes, will make delicious Bing celebration cakes, fairy cakes and tray bakes which are sure to be a delight for Bingsters all across the UK.

Carys Delve, Marketing Controller at BBF said, “As one of the UK’s leading ambient cake manufacturers we pride ourselves on the high quality of our products and our choice of partners.  We couldn’t be more excited about working with the team at Acamar. Our new Bing cakes will be irresistibly delicious and will come with a large helping of fun.”

 Dreamtex have extended its home textiles license following solid sales of the bedding and fleece blankets and the recently launched shaped cushions and wallpaper. Further new products will launch in 2018.

Meanwhile, Egmont Publishing will also continue to develop its standalone Bing magazine that launched in July 2016 and offers a collection of stories, activities and stickers.

The deals add to Acamar’s growing licensing programme for Bing, where toys, clothes, books, puzzles and games continue to drive strong retail success.

 

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