Formula 1
Since 1950, F1 has evolved constantly, innovated relentlessly, and grown continually to deliver the greatest sports and entertainment spectacle with competitive racing, cementing its position as the pinnacle of motorsport. F1’s licensing program has reached further than before, including new partnerships in the toy space with LEGO and Mattel, reaching an ever growing youthful fanbase and with takeovers at the Las Vegas Sphere as well as online and in-store prominence. This, coupled with the existing consumer product partnerships of PUMA, Pacsun, Topps and others, enabled the sport to be brought even closer to the 750 million fans globally. Coupled with the ongoing and expanding experiential worldwide offering with F1 Exhibition and F1 Arcade and the successful gaming and Sim Racing Championship (30% participation increase on 2023), the sports licensing offering has hit new heights in 2024.
NFLPA
The NFL Players Association, with a global licensing program spanning more than 90 licensees across eCommerce, mobile, direct-to-consumer, and retail, expands the reach of NFL players across industries and markets. In 2024, NFLPA launched 2K NFL Playmakers, a tactical card battler mobile game, bringing an innovative experience to fans worldwide. The NFLPA granted Off Season an official license, allowing NFL players’ names and likenesses to power a first-of-its-kind fan fashion brand. The debut collection sold out within hours, setting a new standard for sports fashion. The integration of over 1,500 active NFL players into Retro Bowl made it an Apple Arcade hit, adding authenticity while preserving its nostalgic pixelated appeal. Retro Bowl became the top-rated sports game on Apple Arcade, surpassing 1.3 million first-time downloads. The NFL Elite UNO game launched exclusively at Walmart in fall 2024 and became an instant best-seller. From gaming to fashion, the NFLPA continues to redefine player licensing, unlocking new opportunities that connect fans with their favorite athletes worldwide.
Overtime – Overtime Sport (The Brand Liaison)
A combination of sports, eSports, content, and entertainment, Overtime is truly a disruptive force changing the way Gen Z and Millennials consume sports. 2024 saw Overtime explode to 110 million subscribers and an astronomical 40 billion views with engagement levels exceeding NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL combined! Backed by investors including Drake, Jeff Bezos, Daymond John, and over 20 NBA players, Overtime is a multi-faceted media empire with long- and short-form content on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and streaming on Prime. It has three professional leagues, including the explosive Overtime Elite Basketball that provided four NBA Top 10 draft picks over the past two drafts and a five-part docu-series on Prime. Sponsors and partners include Adidas, Nike, Spalding, Strideline, Topps, Gatorade, Netflix, Google, and Amazon. Overtime merchandising included collaborations with Adidas, Rolling Loud, Billionaire Boys Club, Market, Spongebob, 7-11, and more, including exclusive product releases at PacSun, Bobs Sports stores, and more.
UFC – TKO Group Holdings (IMG)
UFC is the world’s premier MMA organization with more than 700 million fans globally. The licensing program counts more than 70 licensees. The program spans across multiple categories from performance (Venum, Dyaco, Opro) to lifestyle and fashion apparel (Culture Kings, Pacsun, Anti-Social Social Club, Celio, and many others), as well as digital (EA’s UFC 5 has seen more than 600 million fights played online in the first year of its release), memorabilia (UFCcollectlibles.com, with more than 10,000 orders in 2024), accessories (New Era, Timex, the official timekeeper of UFC, and Under Armour, the official footwear of UFC). Retail is also very important with on-site retail and online retail being a key point to create new touchpoints with our fans.
Yale (ASPIRE by WildBrain CPLG)
Yale University is an iconic Ivy League institution with more than 300 years of history, and its licensed merchandise is an important part of its mission, serving to help promote the Yale brand throughout the world. The focus of Yale Licensing has been to build the brand in the fashion and lifestyle space through multiple apparel and accessories collections; securing distribution at major fashion retailers globally, including Nordstom, Galeries Lafayette, and the Inditex Group; as well as partnering with high-end fashion brands such as October’s Very Own Merchandising (OvO), co-owned by world renowned rapper Drake, and Les Deux. Yale has also successfully entered new categories such as home and stationery with best-in-class partners across EMEA, India, and U.S. In addition, the brand is now expanding into new territories, including Southeast Asia, South America, and Mexico in fashion as well as accessories and travel.
