Disney Tops In Global Licensing For 2018
Chances are good that if you look around in your home right now, from where you are sitting, you have a Disney licensed product nearby. And that is precisely why Disney repeated as tops in global licensing in 2018.
Disney Topped Global Licensing in 2018
The Hollywood Reporter’s Etan Vlessing explained:
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Image: Disney
The Walt Disney Co.’s Disney Consumer Products unit has repeated as the top licensor in the world in 2018 with $54.7 billion in retail sales of licensed merchandise worldwide, according to an annual ranking by License Global magazine. That is up 3.2 percent from $53 billion in 2017.
Hollywood brand licensing was impacted last year by entertainment industry consolidation as AT&T acquired Time Warner, Disney nabbed 21st Century Fox assets and all eyes were on a possible Viacom-CBS recombination.
The 2018 merchandise, licensing and publishing sales for Walt Disney did not include Fox’s consumer products business because those retail sale figures weren’t available to License Global in time for the latest survey. So Disney’s ranking instead reflects its own merchandise sales in 2018 for Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War from the Marvel universe, the Star Wars franchise and Pixar’s Coco.
Looking Ahead
The Disney Parks, Experiences and Products division is led by Chairman Bob Chapek.
Bob Chapek. Image: Disney
Fans can get a feeling for future offerings from the group at the 2019 D23 Expo:
During the three-day event, fans can scoop up never-before-seen collectibles across the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products-operated retail shops on the Expo floor: shopDisney.com | Disney Store, Disney DreamStore, Mickey’s of Glendale, and Mickey’s of Glendale Pin Store. Attendees will be introduced to new collections that celebrate milestone anniversaries and favorite characters across Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel, along with must-have official D23 Expo 2019 gear and accessories, nostalgic Disney Parks-inspired items, and limited-edition collectibles celebrating Walt Disney Imagineering’s heritage.
By the way, I just did my own test. I only had to turn my head five-degrees before I found my own licensed product. Hello R2-D2!
What Disney product do you have within arm’s reach? Tell us in the comments.
