Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) and Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific have announced their agreement under which Turner’s Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE, licensing and merchandising division) has been appointed as the consumer products licensing representative for WBCP in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“Turner has always been our close partner as we support their broadcasting and marketing of animation programs in the region,” said Warner Bros. Consumer Products, MD Greater China, Southeast Asia and India, Bianca Lee. “This extension of our relationship will now include representation of our consumer products licensing business in the region, which is a strategic collaboration that will be mutually beneficial.”
In these markets, WBCP’s (Warner Bros. Consumer Products) rich portfolio will be represented by CNE, consisting of films, television series, animated programs, and more. This includes iconic brands such as DC Comics Super Heroes Batman, Superman and The Flash, as well as Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter, and The Hobbit Trilogy, among many others. The wide spectrum of WBCP’s licensing categories includes apparel, accessories, publishing, stationery, toys, gifts, novelties, as well as branded foods, personal care products and licensed advertising promotions as key categories in the region.
Speaking on the announcement, Turner Asia Pacific president Ricky Ow said, “This association embodies the spirit of collaboration within Time Warner and leverages our combined organisation’s strengths. We already operate some of the most loved leading brands in South Asia and this collaboration will benefit from our proven success and the future investments we will make in the region. We are delighted to add WBCP to our portfolio and are very bullish on its growth opportunities.”
CNE has an impressive licensing portfolio in South Asia, and WBCP is thrilled to become part of their network of 76 partners across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which also includes their strong footprints in traditional retail, modern trade and ecommerce. CNE was awarded the ‘Licensor of the Year Award’ by Franchise India in May 2015.
Turner who is a Time Waner company runs 55 channels in 13 languages in 38 countries, including CNN International, CNNj, CNN, HLN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, POGO, Toonami, World Heritage Channel, Warner TV, Oh!K, TCM Turner Classic Movies, truTV, WB, MondoTV, TABI Channel and HBO in South Asia. Turner also manages distribution for HBO Defined and HBO Hits in India.
Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE), the licensing and merchandising arm of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, is responsible for building world-class licensing programs across its franchises including Ben 10, Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Mixels, and other Cartoon Network and Adult Swim originals.
CNE that was awarded the Licensor of the Year Award by Franchise India in May 2015 also represents popular franchises such as Roll No 21, M.A.D (Music, Art & Dance) and Mr. Bean in the region. It has a strong network of 76 partners and more than 5000 products across 36 categories with strong footprints in traditional retail, modern trade and ecommerce. Besides its core consumer products business, CNE has serviced promotional licensing campaigns with some of the world’s largest with brands including Cadbury, Heinz, Unilever, Kellogg’s, United Biscuits, Dabur, Britannia, ITC, HUL, Novartis in the region.