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Dream Theatre Takes The Baahubali Licensing And Brand Partnerships Mandate

Ad Tribe! Bureau2 min read
Halftone paper cutout of a sword and a merchandise tag, marking Dream Theatre taking the Baahubali licensing and brand partnerships mandate

Arka Media Works has appointed Dream Theatre as its licensing and brand partnerships partner for the Baahubali franchise, covering the consumer products programme and the two animated films now in production.

  • Partner: Dream Theatre
  • Franchise: Baahubali, and Baahubali: The Eternal War Parts 1 and 2
  • India: exclusive licensing and merchandising partner
  • International: strategic partner for licensing, sponsorships and brand associations

What The Dream Theatre Mandate Covers

Licensing and merchandising across apparel, collectibles, figures, bags, stationery, publishing, gaming and experiential work, and alongside it sponsorships, brand associations, promotional tie-ups and co-branded initiatives around the franchise. The India rights are exclusive; internationally the role is strategic partner rather than sole agent.

Why Now

Because the franchise is becoming a universe rather than a pair of films. Baahubali: The Eternal War is a two-part CGI animated epic produced by Arka Media Works and directed by Ishan Shukla, and it was selected for the Work in Progress programme at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this year. Animation changes the licensing arithmetic: it widens the age range, extends the release calendar and produces character assets built for merchandise in a way live action rarely does.

The Number Behind It

The Baahubali films have grossed more than Rs 2,400 crore worldwide. An audience that size, held across India and international markets for close to a decade, is the underlying asset any licensing programme is actually selling.

S S Rajamouli, who created the franchise, said Baahubali has always had the potential to grow beyond film and that The Eternal War offers a new way to explore that world, adding that he was glad to have Dream Theatre on board as the franchise expands into new experiences.

Exclusive At Home, Strategic Abroad

The split in the mandate is worth reading. Exclusive rights in India mean one agency controls the category list, the partner selection and the release timing in the market where the franchise is strongest. A strategic role internationally means working alongside whoever already holds distribution in each territory, which is the usual shape for an Indian property selling merchandise abroad.

Sponsorships and promotional tie-ups sit in the same agreement as the merchandising, which keeps the brand partnerships and the product licensing on one desk rather than two. More agency mandates.

#brand partnerships#dream theatre#baahubali#arka media works#licensing
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