Property Profile: Power Rangers Samurai

ORIGIN: Power Rangers Samurai is the 19th season of the iconic Power Rangers franchise, which began with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids Network in 1993. The show originates from the Japanese live-action series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, which aired on TV Asahi from 1992 to 1993.

DISTRIBUTOR: Saban Capital Group reclaimed the rights to the Power Rangers franchise from The Walt Disney Company in 2010. Saban Brands holds all worldwide rights, with international distribution handled by MarVista Entertainment.

DESCRIPTION: The new Rangers—Jayden, Kevin, Mia, Emily and Mike—harness the mystical Samurai Symbols of Power to fight evil with the elements of fire, water, sky, forest and earth. They are not alone in their struggle. An all-knowing mentor and special spirit animals called Zords aid in their attack against the relentless dark forces.

TV SHOW: The live-action series consists of 40 half-hour episodes. The franchise also includes more than 700 half-hour episodes of previous seasons.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Haim Saban, Jonathan Tzachor

COMMISSIONING BROADCASTER: Nickelodeon and Nicktoons in the U.S.

TV SALES: MarVista Entertainment, the international distributor for the television series, has sold Power Rangers Samurai to Nickelodeon for Canada, Germany, the Benelux, the U.K., Ireland, Latin America, Greece, Eastern Europe, Australia and New Zealand; Canal J and Gulli in France; Televisa in Mexico; TELETOON in Canada and Grupo Bandeirantes in Brazil.

“Since launching last year, we have partnered with leading broadcasters in many of the key territories, and we will continue our aggressive sales strategy as we head into the upcoming MIPCOM market,” said Fernando Szew, the CEO of MarVista Entertainment. “Power Rangers Samurai is a top priority for MarVista as we work with Saban Brands and our broadcast partners to build upon the phenomenon of this franchise."

MAJOR TOY LICENSEES: Bandai is the worldwide master toy licensee. Major toy categories include action figures, vehicles and role-play items.

OTHER PRODUCTS: All major product categories are covered, from apparel to footwear to publishing. Agents include Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG) for Western Europe, Ink for Scandinavia/Eastern Europe, Haven Licensing for Australia/New Zealand, Segal Licensing for Canada, Character Licensing & Marketing (CLM) for South Africa, Exim Licensing for Latin America excluding Mexico.

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: Saban Brands, together with its L&M partners, is planning to launch merchandise in key international territories in the fourth quarter of this year and into the beginning of 2012, says Kirk Bloomgarden, the senior VP of international licensing.

This follows the introduction of Bandai toys into U.S. retailers earlier this year, with other categories hitting shelves in time for the back-to-school season in the fall.

"We’re covering all markets between now and the first quarter of next year," Bloomgarden says. "Western Europe is all going out now and Latin America as well. Australia just launched in July. So the remaining markets in the first quarter of 2012 will really be Eastern Europe and some of the emerging markets—Turkey, etc. And then we will have covered the globe."

In addition to the Bandai line—which includes action figures, vehicles and role-play items—Bloomgarden lists apparel as a key category. "In every market apparel is the cornerstone product category after toys. Also footwear is a big category. Back to school is key, so you got all the stationery items and bags and rucksacks. And then there is publishing, which is important as well with coloring and activity books. We are also doing some home in terms of bedding. And then we have some key promotional partners that will be coming on board in the next six to 12 months."

Meanwhile, Saban Brands recently staffed up its digital-content capabilities, setting up a new in-house division to work on video games, mobile apps, websites, social media and more. "We recognize that digital is so important today," Bloomgarden notes. For Power Rangers Samurai, the new-media portfolio includes apps, the website PowerRangers.com, and more to come; "it’s a huge play for us," he says.

Another key area for the franchise, Bloomgarden adds, is the adults’ market—most notably men in their 20s who were fans of previous seasons of the show. "We’ve got the fanboys or the super fans that have been with us for 20 years," Bloomgarden says. "Some of them are fathers of young boys now, so you’ve got them still continuing as fans and introducing the show to their young sons. We have retro T-shirts that are being introduced to the market now in the U.S. that look great, and they really do capture the old Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. We’re looking [to bring those into] other markets internationally, and then Bandai has had some items that are really for the collectors. We’ve been smart in putting out product tapped specifically for [adult fans]. Those super fans are also gobbling up new Samurai product as well, because they collect it all!"