Streaming services upended the once predictable cadence of theatrical and linear television releases, and now they’re speeding the introduction of licensed products.

On the adult side, surprise hits like Stranger Things and Squid Game forced licensees to scramble for products that didn’t exist when the series debuted. In children’s content, the tradition of waiting a season or more to gather viewership data before deciding whether a series had licensing potential has been replaced, in some cases, by deals that are struck before the first episode even airs.

“It used to be you really needed a year to build that connection with the audience when content was airing a few times a week to get to the point where they were demanding product,” said Kristin Lecour, VP of consumer products and Canadian distribution at 9 Story Media Group. “Children don’t need to wait to watch their favorite show at a certain time and they are forging a connection with characters in those shows much more quickly than they did in the past. Now, it’s not enough to have just a linear strategy because you also have to have one for SVOD, YouTube, and social media.”

For example, when 9 Story’s animated series Karma’s World launched last October it already had licensing agreements in place for toys (master toy licensee Jada Toys) and publishing (Scholastic Corp.). The series now has a total of 50 licensees. The same holds true for Fred Rogers Productions’ Donkey Hodie, which first aired in May 2021 with deals already in place for toys (Jada Toys) and publishing (Simon & Schuster, which shipped books in December 2021).

In both cases, the properties benefitted from connections. Karma’s World was created by rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and features his daughter (Karma) as the young female lead, while Fred Rogers is also home to the hit PBS series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Skydance Animation’s film Luck launches Friday on Apple TV+ and already has a deal with family entertainment center operator Main Event Entertainment (51 locations, including 22 in Texas) for free gameplay, upgraded birthday parties, merchandise, and movie-inspired Shirley Temple drinks. Skydance also signed on to produce a film based on Mattel’s Matchbox toys, which will presumably have a leg up in introducing products.

These new content and licensing timelines come at a time when retailers, saddled with excess inventory, are buying cautiously and in smaller quantities, leaving less room for unknown properties.

“We have had such a tumultuous time at retail between supply shortages, delivery issues, excess inventory, and inflation that people are more hesitant than ever to commit to brands, period,” said JJ Ahearn, managing director at Licensing Street, which represents Donkey Hodie in North America. “If you asked me the same question a year ago, I would have said people are taking some chances on opportunities but right now people are sure which way [they need] to achieve scale.”

And while the industry continues to evolve faster than ever before, it will take time for retailers, licensees, and licensors to adjust to a quicker pace of bringing IPs from screen to store.

“This is moving very quickly, but everyone is becoming comfortable with a truncated timeline and making the safest bets they can with the information that they have,” Lecour said. “IP owners would always like to rush out the door with the product, but licensees and retailers are the gatekeepers in saying that they need proof that this will work.”