Franchise (media)

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Franchise systems in the media context are a form of licensing of brands and other intangible goods to a media work ( franchising ) that go beyond the original author, his publisher, the context of creation and the original media form. Media franchising takes place most often in the form of merchandising , but has developed far beyond that.

Successful media works - such as books, films or computer games - often contain usable content beyond the original context. These can be characters, storylines, locations or objects that are on the one hand protected by copyright in favor of the original author and his publisher, and on the other hand generate public interest. The author or publisher can license these rights to other exploiters who sell pictorial representations or, for example, toy figures , continue story lines in new books or films or design computer or board games based on the template.

While there were already licensing in the form of marketing cooperation , especially around the James Bond film series, in which product placement took place in the film and then the products used in the film could be advertised with the character James Bond and the 007 logo, the film applies 1977 Star Wars as the first major application of media franchising. The author and director George Lucas had reserved the merchandising rights and was able to conclude extensive license agreements for the production of toy figures for the first time in film history; This was followed by books that played in the Star Wars universe, computer games, television series and other forms of marketing.