WINX CLUB SEASON 9 PREMIERE DATE ‼️

Interest in classic licenses, the development of art brands, competition in the preschool license market - we talked about the main trends in the world of licensing and key innovations of the Rainbow Group with Matteo Olivetti, Global CP - Consumer products at Rainbow Group.

- Matteo, tell us what tendencies, in your opinion, prevailed over the last year in the Russian licensing market.

- Interesting tendencies have begun to appear in the licensing market in the last few "pandemic" years. First of all, since the beginning of the pandemic, we have found that Winx Club has become the most sustainable brand in our license portfolio in terms of sales. It turned out that in a period of uncertainty in the market, it is the classic evergreen licenses that are able to successfully maintain their market share, while less established brands find themselves in "turbulence."

- What news awaits Winx Club fans in 2022?

We continue to actively invest in the brand. In the second half of 2022, a large-scale Winx Club live show tour is planned in Russia, which will be for both children and adults. And at the beginning of 2023, the premiere of the new 9th season of Winx Club will take place. Also, the entire next 2022 will be a jubilee year for the brand - the famous fairies are turning 18! On this occasion, we are planning large-scale festive events all year round!

It is also worth noting another interesting trend here - all over the world, including in Russia, the share of kidals in licensed purchases is growing! This is a very potential market, as the target audience from 14 to 25 years old is ideal consumers! They show a steady demand, they are solvent, and this audience is constantly growing. In Russia, for example, there is a huge fan base of the Winx Club brand.

We are actively developing a license in goods for young people. This summer, the release of the Winx Club collection from Bershka took place, we plan to continue this successful cooperation in 2022. We are also preparing the release of several new categories of goods from Russian manufacturers!

Winx Club's strong brand awareness and huge fan base have actually contributed to the production and success of the Netflix adaptation of Fate: The Winx Saga. The show became one of the most watched TV shows on Netflix, with 57 million families worldwide watching during its first 28 days of airing. With a second season due in 2022, Rainbow has already opened its licensed program to a new audience that is so eager to interact with the brand.

- What other trends in the world of licenses can you point out?

Another interesting trend is the development of the art license market. We see that licenses have ceased to be only the prerogative of children's products, now for all generations they want to have bright products that carry a certain message and emotions. That is why we have decided to enter into a global partnership with renowned American artist Lucia Heffernan. The style of her work is truly unique - she depicts animals in a bright, humorous and emotional manner. All the artist's images instantly attract the eye and cause a sincere smile, and now people just need it!

- What trends do you see in the segment of preschool licenses?

As you know, in the preschool target audience there is maximum competition among licensed brands. However, since the beginning of the pandemic, the top preschool licenses on the Russian market have practically not changed in composition. Both consumers and manufacturers have missed new products that could change the balance of power.

Rainbow Group is preparing two iconic premieres for preschoolers in 2022. The first is the animated series Pinocchio and Friends. The first season consists of 26 episodes of 12 minutes each. The world famous story has received a new reading. Without losing the original appeal of Collodi's Pinocchio, our latest adaptation combines adventure, comedy, friendship, and entertainment with the highest quality CGI. The show is ready to conquer the youngest hearts: Pinocchio, together with his girlfriend Frida and a talking cricket, will send children and adults on amazing adventures with many new characters.

The second big premiere is the series for preschoolers "Summer and Todd: Funny Farmers". This is a very kind and funny story of Todd, a villager, the raccoon, and his girlfriend Summer, the bunny, who is moving out of the big city. A creative approach to solving the problems of both heroes, faith in oneself and friendship is the basis of the series.

In addition to the premiere series, we are expanding our licensing portfolio for the already world-wide successful series “44 Kittens”. On September 4, the premiere of the new season 2 took place on the Karusel channel. The ratings of the premiere episodes are very high, which once again proves the audience's interest in the history of Lampo, Milady, Pilu and Donut. In 2022, we plan to premiere new episodes on the Karusel channel, release a completely new collection of toys, and update the assortment about a large number of current licensees based on the new season.