PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Pokémon Joins Universal Theme Parks
Courtesy of Universal Studios Japan
Universal is expanding its deal with The Pokémon Company to potentially bring the popular media franchise to its parks around the world.
The Big Picture: Theme parks have grown into the ultimate battleground among media conglomerates, with Disney and NBCUniversal recently investing tens of billions of dollars to expand their offerings, leverage valuable IP, and meet the growing demand for unique IRL experiences. And with the film and TV industries going through a period of consolidation and contraction, theme parks are proving to be a consistent revenue generator.
Behind The Scenes: Millennial nostalgia is about to get a big boost with Pokémon coming to Universal Studios.
Universal Studios Japan struck a deal with The Pokémon Company to “offer more innovative, immersive, and world-class Pokémon experiences [...] across the company’s global footprint.”
THR notes that details are still locked inside a Poké Ball, but the deal suggests that “rides, attractions, or even lands could be on the table.” The two companies have already been collaborating on parades and shows since 2021.
Considering the rollout of Universal’s Epic Universe in Orlando and its family-focused theme park in Texas, Pokémon could one day pop up there as well.
Last Battle: As Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, the franchise has seemingly found renewed cultural relevance for the Gameboy and trading-card staple (IYKYK). That’s part of a newfound global fascination with anime and manga that turned Kpop Demon Hunters into Netflix’s biggest movie ever and made Sony’s Crunchyroll streamer into a hit far outside Japan. These days, everybody wants to catch ‘em all.
Coming Soon: It’s only a matter of time until Disney makes a strategic acquisition in the anime space to compete with Universal.
Together with Wellput
Maximum Revenue. Minimum Effort.
Your audience is engaged. Your content works.
If you have 10k or more subscribers, you can earn more from every send without adding operational overhead.
Wellput helps you fill unsold sponsorship inventory using a cost-per-click pricing model. This model is more equitable for both sides.
Advertisers only pay for performance, and you get paid every time your audience engages.
You stay focused on publishing. They handle sponsor matching, testing, optimization, and reporting so your sponsorship revenue becomes predictable.
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited, Polled, & Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.