January 9th, 2018 90 comments

Doctor Who Brand and Licensing Update

Information and text from the January 2018 edition of toy world magazine

BBC Worldwide With over 55 years of history as the world’s longest running sci-fi television show, Doctor Who is a global franchise, watched in over 239 countries and with hundreds of millions of fans worldwide. At the heart of the franchise is the highly anticipated launch of Doctor Who Series 11.

The regeneration of the Doctor in the 2017 Christmas episode, as well as last year’s revelations about the new series, engaged with fans across the globe, as it was unveiled that Jodie Whittaker will play the first female Doctor in the show’s history. 2018 marks a true regeneration for the franchise, with a five year evergreen strategy built around a commitment to a solid content pipeline, delivered through platforms relevant to the BBC’s audiences.

The BBC will continue to work with world class partners, building an expansive digital and ancillary strategy and key annual marketing moments to create audience engagement. These strategies will grow youth audiences, engage families with young children, and deepen the property’s relationship with existing fans as the Doctor Who universe continues to expand. Doctor Who has a proven track-record in consumer products with over 4m Sonic Screwdrivers sold in the past decade, over 12m action figures sold since 2005, and over 18m DVDs sold globally.

As the Doctor embarks on a new era, the company states that current licensees are continuing to innovate and create future-facing products that will reflect the new series and reach wider audiences.

BBC Worldwide has cross-category ambition for the brand, driving category roll out across retail to expand the brand’s retail footprint. Nearly 70 longstanding, global licensees are working on Doctor Who, including Character Options as master toy licensee, Penguin Random House, Winning Moves, Eaglemoss, Kokomo and Brand Alliance.

The licensing team has also seen renewed interest in the brand from new partners across new categories, and in new retailers in new territories.

In addition there is an advert with the following information…

New Doctor, Companions and Adventures

More than 11 hours of new content in Autumn 2018

New Evergreen Styleguide and Licensing programme

For licensing enquiries, contact bbcw.licensing@bbc.com

Categorised under: News, Retail