News
US: MGM eyes Latin America for new licensing push
Samantha Loveday Jan 28 2008, 10:27am
Pink Panther and Rocky to lead drive into fresh markets for movie studio.
A major marketing and merchandising push from MGM is underway in Latin America, with the studio initially highlighting Argentina and Chile as the main markets.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, New York-based Big Tent Entertainment has sealed an agreement with MGM Consumer Products to become the exclusive licensing agent for the two territories.
The Pink Panther and Rocky characters have remained very popular in both Argentina and Chile - with Panther TV episodes still gaining robust audience figures.
Pink Panther apparel and other merchandise will be pushed to the youth market, plush toys and other products from the Pink Pan and Friends cartoon series will appeal to younger kids and tweens, while Rocky product will be targeting the older consumers.
"Latin America is a burgeoning marketplace for branded entertainment and I believe it will continue to be so for the foreseeable future," said Richard Collins, president and CEO of Big Tent.
"We love the way things are trending there. The population is growing, the middle class economy - particularly in Argentina - is burgeoning and we like the way retailers are going to market."
