With the successful launch of its second season on French pay-TV kids channel Canal J and its back-to-school debut on free-to-air network Gulli, Beyblade Burst continues to grow its presence in the French market.
Nelvana International, the property’s licensing agent in France, is capitalizing on the momentum with the addition of CTI (bedding), Sun City (apparel), Leomil (footwear) and ATM (backpacks) to Beyblade Burst’s French licensing program.
The new licensees join an already successful program led by global master toy licensee Hasbro, that includes Panini (magazine/sticker album), Livres du Dragon d’Or (publishing/activity books), Kazé (manga), Citel (DVDs), Ravensburger (puzzles) and D’arpèje (outdoor products). The new products will be available at French retailers this summer (CTI, Sun City) and during the back-to-school season (Leomil, ATM).
In April, Beyblade Burst captured a 23.3% share of kids aged four to 10 in France on Gulli. Additionally, Beyblade Burst action figures from Hasbro are currently the number one bestseller in the category in the French market and was the second-best performing license in France for 2017, according to The NPD Group.
“We’re delighted to have teamed up with SUNRIGHTS INC. on Beyblade Burst,” said Sarah Sakr, Licensing Director at Nelvana International-Europe. “Beyblade Burst tops by Hasbro are a huge hit in France, and the property continues to attract a large and growing community of kids that is helping to drive sales of our consumer products program to new heights. The soaring popularity of Hasbro’s toys has enabled us to select the very best partners and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with so many first-rate licensees.”
More than 3,000 kids attended the April 2018 Beyblade Burst French National Championship held in Lyon, and on November 3, 2018, SUNRIGHTS INC. and d-rights Inc. – in partnership with TOMY Company, Ltd. and Hasbro Inc. – will bring national champions from all over the world to compete in the Beyblade Burst World Championship at Kidexpo in Paris (http://www.worldtour.beyblade.com).
