The Leading Licensees Sponsored by Bioworld
Powered by Bioworld, License Global’s Leading Licensees Whitepaper recognizes almost 500 manufacturers worldwide across 18 licensing categories that have made significant developments in the licensing business and will continue to push the industry forward in the coming years.
Licensees make the licensing industry possible. Handling everything from design to distribution to manufacturing and more, IP makes it to merchandise through licensee expertise. License Global’s annual Leading Licensees whitepaper celebrates the manufacturers that drive the brand licensing industry while meeting many needs for all facets of the business. IP owners can track down new partners, other manufacturers can learn more about their peers and retailers can research the IPs and partners that best fit their business goals, all in one report.
The centerpiece of our Leading Licensees whitepaper is the manufacturer index. This year’s Leading Licensees whitepaper has our most robust directory yet – nearly 500 manufacturers specializing in licensed consumer products are on this list. Additionally, we’ve added an index feature to the whitepaper to make finding licensees on the list easier.
License Global’s Brandscape section goes in-depth on how licensees operate. Questions answered in this data include what licenses sell the best, what licenses are being signed, what age groups and geographies are being targeted and more. This data trendcasts what the industry will see in 2026 and beyond.
Download the whitepaper and navigate to the Brandscape section to explore this data in more detail.
Brandscape: Top Licenses of 2025
Licensed merchandise trends shift regularly, especially when it comes to properties. The most popular IPs sell well and aid in brand recognition for the licensee and business growth. The following properties have been named by licensees as the bestselling IPs of 2025.
Disney
"Bluey"
"Minecraft"
Warner Bros.
Hello Kitty
To view the complete list, download the whitepaper in full.
What Categories are Manufacturers Looking for?
The Leading Licensees covers manufacturers that operate within 18 categories, but to know what’s next for manufacturers, one needs to know what categories they want to enter and what types of licensors they hope to work with. The top five categories were:
Gifts and Novelties
TV/Film/Animation/Streaming Media
Toys/Games
Fashion (Footwear/Accessories)
Fashion (Apparel)
To view the complete list, download the report in full.
Also contained within the License Global Leading Licensees:
How License Global compiled this year's list of product manufacturers
The Leading Licensees Index
What categories licensees are looking for
The most successful licenses of 2025
The biggest new licenses of 2025
Which geographic regions have presented the greatest opportunities for licensed products
What retail channels are a focus for licensees
What generations are a focus for licensees
Trends and insight from Supply + Demand
Bioworld reflects on 25 years
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