Bravado’s worldwide deal with Disney’s Searchlight Pictures tests whether film fans shop like music fans, as UMG’s merchandise segment shrinks.
Bravado built its business selling merchandise for The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Its newest client makes movies. Universal Music Group’s merchandise company struck a worldwide deal with Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures covering direct-to-fan e-commerce, retail and licensing, Music Business Worldwide reported on Thursday.
According to the companies, Searchlight is the first film studio to work with Bravado. The opening collection supports Wild Horse Nine, Martin McDonagh’s film starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, which Searchlight released in U.S. and U.K. theaters on Nov. 6. Malkovich won best actor at Venice for the role. The range leans into the film’s 1970s setting with a journal, a long-sleeve polo, a passport cover, hotel keychains, horse-motif signet rings and a double-vinyl soundtrack, all sold through Searchlight’s own shop under a “Powered by Bravado” credit.
Searchlight president Matthew Greenfield said the studio wants to bring its films “to life beyond the screen.” Dan Goldberg, Bravado’s senior vice president of strategy and new ventures, called Searchlight “our first partner in film and entertainment.”
The timing matters for UMG. In the third quarter, its Merchandising and Other segment brought in €248 million, down 4.6% at constant currency, MBW reported from the company’s results. UMG pointed to lighter touring against a year-ago quarter packed with bigger tours, partly offset by growth in direct-to-consumer sales. The segment’s adjusted EBITDA slipped to €11 million from €13 million.
Tour merchandise rises and falls with the road calendar. A film runs on a different clock, from opening weekend through awards season and home release. Bravado has stepped outside music before, with Harley-Davidson and a 2021 U.K. apparel deal with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The real test is whether Searchlight sends more titles to the shop, and whether other studios hand their fan stores to a record company.
Sources
- Music Business Worldwide – UMG’s Bravado strikes worldwide merch deal with Disney’s Searchlight Pictures – https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/umgs-bravado-strikes-worldwide-merch-deal-with-disneys-searchlight-pictures/
- Music Business Worldwide – Universal Music Group generated $3.90B in Q3, up 11.7% YoY – https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-music-group-generated-3-90b-in-q3-up-11-7-yoy-driven-by-mrs-green-apple-olivia-rodrigo-stray-kids-ariana-grande-and-the-beatles/
- Wikipedia – Wild Horse Nine – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Horse_Nine
Featured photo: Clark Street Mercantile / Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License. Trailer embedded from the official Searchlight Pictures YouTube channel.
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