License Global has unveiled its annual Top Global Licensors Report, highlighting a comparison of the world’s biggest brands by total retail sales of licensed consumer products in 2023.
This year’s report also includes trend-predictive data for 2025 from intellectual property owners across toys, fashion, food and beverage, entertainment and other consumer verticals.
Key findings from this year’s report indicate significant growth in the consumer product space from several global companies such as Authentic Brands Group, Hasbro, Sanrio, NBCUniversal and Bluestar Alliance. In total, this year’s report shows a total of more than $281 billion* in licensed consumer products sold at retail worldwide in 2023, which represents over $3 billion* growth in comparison to 2022, a measure of the strength of continued consumer reception to the market.
The Top Global Licensors report is built to track the growth of consumer behavior and retail activity of the leading companies that leverage brand licensing as a business model.
The top five global licensors 2024 are:
- The Walt Disney Company
- Authentic Brands Group
- Dotdash Meredith
- Warner Bros. Discovery
- Hasbro
Leading brand owners also include The Pokémon Company International, Procter & Gamble, Paramount, The Electrolux Group, Caterpillar, The Hershey Company, BMW, PGA TOUR, SEGA, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Tommy Bahama to name just a few featured in the Top Global Licensors 2024 report.
Among the notable new participants this year are John Deere Company, White Castle, Laura Ashley, Pernod Ricard – Kahlua, Chinese Theatres, Sunkist Growers, Edgewell Personal Care, New Zealand Mint and ‘Poppy Playtime’ owner Mob Entertainment.
The report also identifies key areas for future licensing opportunities, with apparel, food and beverage, toys and games and location-based entertainment all emerging as leading categories.
“Today, it is harder than ever to reach a highly fragmented consumer,” commented Amanda Cioletti, vp of content and strategy at Informa Markets’ Global Licensing Group, which includes the License Global media brand, as well as Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe. “A hallmark of every brand licensing professional’s research each year, the Top Global Licensors Report breaks down which brands consumers are allocating hard-won dollars for. Companies may leverage this data and forecasting to stay ahead of trends to ensure planned product ranges align with the latest consumer preferences.”
* For the exact totals, figures and rankings in the Top Global Licensors 2024 report, please visit www.licenseglobal.com.
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