Entertainment giant Hasbro maps out licensing business strategy

An array of activities are set to attract fans of the Transformers, Peppa Pig and My Little Pony as global play and entertainment giant Hasbro mapped out its licensing business strategy and unveiled a number of upcoming events on Tuesday.

The Transformers “Cybertron Conference” is set to take place in Shanghai in December, promising to be a grand gathering for fans, it said during the 2024 Hasbro China Licensing Summit.

With the theme of “Creating Magic through Play,” the summit unveiled Hasbro’s development strategy and licensing collaboration plan in the China market with licensees from all over the country and looked forward to the future development of the licensing industry.

As a special gift for the 40th anniversary of Transformers, the event will combine brand releases with interactive installations. Fans will have the opportunity to explore the remarkable journey of Transformers’ development over 40 years in a tangible way.

In 2025, Hasbro’s brands will also bring a series of new television content, such as the second season of “Peppa Pig Tales,” sixth season of “PJ Masks Power Heros,” first season of “My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale,” and second season of “Transformers: Earthspark.”

Retail sales of licensee products and the scale of royalties have continued to grow in the past six years, and licensee products and services are being accepted by a wider market and showing a diversified development trend, according to the 2024 White Paper on the Development of China’s Brand Licensing Industry released by the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association.

“The China market is vital to Hasbro. In the future, we will continue to work with partners in key areas to drive the licensing business forward and provide innovative products and experiences for fans,” said Marianne James, senior vice president of Global Licensing at Hasbro.

Currently, China’s licensing market is expected to reach over 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion), ranking as the fifth-largest market globally and the second-largest in Asia.

The Chinese licensing industry has evolved over the years and simple licensed products with basic graphics can no longer meet the deeper needs of consumers across different age groups with diverse preferences, who are increasingly valuing emotional fulfillment, insiders told the summit.

“China’s licensing market is developing at a very fast pace and is dynamic…there are lots of opportunities for growth,” James said. “Hasbro is helping partners based in China to go and expand internationally, and vice versa.”