Global licensing firm Centa IP has signed on to represent US kids media company Pocket.watch in Australia and New Zealand.
Pocket.watch – an innovative children's entertainment company that works with kid YouTube stars such as RyanToysReview and EvanTubeHD – has recently announced a slew of new licenses to expand the reach of the child stars.
The licensed products cover everything from toys and games to home products and youth electronics.
Centa IP is currently in discussion with local toy partners about distributing the existing Bonkers toy line from RyanToysReviews in Australia, as well as the other products that will soon be available in the line.
“We're super excited to enter the Australian market, and we are thrilled to see our brands represented by Centa IP,” Stone Newman, chief revenue officer at Pocket.watch, told Toy & Hobby Retailer. “The enthusiasm the Australian market showed is super exciting.”
“This is a very exciting time for Pocket.watch and Centa IP. Children globally are now preferring to view content on tablets or smartphones and YouTube is ranked by kids as their favourite brand,” Gail Mitchell, CEO Centa IP said. “Working with Pocket.watch allows us to be at the forefront of this burgeoning short-form video world.”
Pocket.watch also announced a new book that gives readers a behind the scenes look at the child YouTuber's lives off camera. The book features four YouTube creators – RyanToysReview, HobbyKidsTV, JillianTubeHD and EvanTubeHD – and is set for release globally on 06 November.
“We want to be everywhere kids are – toys are just one extension of the Pocket.watch universe,” Newman said.
However, Pocket.watch is fully aware of the difficulties the toy retail sector is facing, but believe they can tackle the challenge head on.
“Toys R Us closing is sad, I was a Toys R Us kid. But retail is an adaptive, evolving business,” Newman said. “We think we have a unique way to reach consumers [through YouTube partners] – they [consumers] are embracing the newness of Pocket.watch,” he said.
In a time when traditional retail has been disrupted by the digital, it is interesting that a new digital company is selling products via a traditional stream. Does this represent a new way for the traditional and online sectors to work together?